Acceleration Sensitivity Characteristics Of Quartz Crystal Oscillators

By Steve Fry, Greenray Industries

By Steve Fry, Greenray Industries, Inc. 

All quartz crystals are susceptible to their resonant frequency being affected by acceleration forces. How great the effect will be is often determined by the crystal’s acceleration, or g-sensitivity. Applications that call for standard oscillators typically don’t have to account for this. When dealing with precision ovenized oscillators, or oscillators that are subjected to extreme environmental conditions though, g-sensitivity can be a significant factor.  This paper can help you predict and plan for the frequency errors your oscillator may experience as a result of acceleration forces.