AN1798

AN1798
Crystal Selection for Low-Power Secondary Oscillator
Authors:
Naveen Raj and Padmaraja Yedamale
Microchip Technology Inc.
INTRODUCTION
With the increasing development of low-power
designs, including battery operated devices, more
efforts have been made in designing low-power oscillators. In applications where an RTCC is maintained at all
conditions, including Sleep, Deep Sleep and VBAT
modes, the current consumption of the secondary
oscillator circuit becomes more critical in overall
system-level application design. With improvements in
secondary oscillator design, the secondary oscillator on
Microchip microcontrollers has achieved an oscillator
current of 400 nA (typical). This makes it even more
critical to select the right crystal to match the low-power
secondary oscillator.
This document provides guidelines for crystal selection
for the 32 kHz low-power secondary oscillator. This
document should not be the sole criteria for crystal
selection. It is recommended to get the oscillator
characterized by the crystal vendor. The devices below
have implemented the specific low-power oscillator
discussed in this document:
• PIC24FJ128GA310 Family
• PIC24FJ128GC010 Family
• PIC24FJ128GA/GB204 Family
For devices not listed above, the secondary oscillator
design may be different and data provided in this document may not be relevant. For new devices which
implement the same secondary oscillator design, this
document will be referred to in the device data sheet.
OSCILLATOR PERFORMANCE
The performance of the oscillator is dependent on
multiple factors; some of the parameters are covered in
this document. Oscillator behavior can be influenced by:
•
•
•
•
•
The following sections describe how different design
elements can affect the 32 kHz oscillator overall
performance. When selecting a suitable crystal for use
with a Microchip microcontroller, the most important
parameters are the loading capacitance and the ESR.
The Load Capacitance (CL) should be 12.5 pF and the
ESR range should be 50 kOhm (Typ.)/70 kOhm (Max.).
The crystal drive circuitry in the microcontroller is
optimized for these specifications. Selecting a lower
load capacitance and/or lower ESR may cause crystal
start-up or stability issues.
Layout and PCB Cleaning
Crystal layout is very critical in design. Due to the
low-power operation of the oscillator, it is even more
important to provide proper grounding around the
crystal. The data sheet for the specific devices
describes the details of layout consideration.
The oscillator circuit should be placed on the same side
of the board as the device. Place the oscillator circuit
close to the respective oscillator pins, with no more
than 0.25 inches (6 mm) between the circuit components and the pins. The load capacitors should be
placed next to the oscillator itself, on the same side of
the board.
Use a grounded copper pour around the oscillator
circuit to isolate it from surrounding circuits. The
grounded copper pour should be routed directly to the
MCU ground. Do not run any signal traces or power
traces inside the ground pour. Also, if using a two-sided
board, avoid any traces on the other side of the board
where the crystal is placed.
Layout suggestions are shown in Figure 1. In-line
packages may be handled with a single-sided layout
that completely encompasses the oscillator pins. With
fine-pitch packages, it is not always possible to completely surround the pins and components. A suitable
solution is to tie the broken guard sections to a mirrored
ground layer. In all cases, the guard trace(s) must be
returned to ground.
Layout and PCB Cleaning
ESR of the Crystal
Load Capacitance
Effect of Voltage
Effect of Temperature
The above parameters can interact with each other,
thus making it critical to know the influence of these
parameters on oscillator behavior.
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS00001798A-page 1
AN1798
FIGURE 1:
FINE-PITCH (DUAL-SIDED)
LAYOUTS
Top Layer Copper Pour
(tied to ground)
Bottom Layer
Copper Pour
(tied to ground)
SOSCO
C2
Oscillator
Crystal
GND
C1
The Equivalent Series Resistor (ESR) is a parameter
provided in the crystal data sheet and is the resistance in
the crystal during oscillation. The oscillator on the
devices mentioned in the “Introduction” section has a
low-power design with a self-biasing Analog-to-Digital
comparator.
When using a crystal with a low-ESR, less than
50 kOhm, the oscillator does not need much energy to
drive, which in turn, makes the self-biasing comparator
unstable. This results in the comparator producing a
32 kHz digital clock with the duty cycle not being 50%.
Variation in the duty cycle is a direct representation of
oscillator performance and accuracy.
The desired ESR rating of 50K typical (70K max) will
provide an optimum performance across temperature
and voltage. Figure 3 shows the plot of the duty cycle
of the SOSC digital clock vs. ESR. Temperature, voltage and load capacitance are not varied. The only
parameter that is varied is the ESR (from 14K to 51K).
SOSCI
DEVICE PINS
While choosing the pinout, avoid the pins adjacent to the
SOSC pins for high-frequency switching signals. If there
is a choice to leave the adjacent pins not utilized in the
application, leave the adjacent pins unused. Do not
connect the unused adjacent port pins to ground or VDD.
Once the crystal is soldered to the PC board, it is critical
that all flux residue is removed by thoroughly washing
the PCB with clean water and drying with hot air. This
is especially true when hand-soldering prototype
boards. If the board area surrounding the crystal is not
cleaned, excess stray capacitance and leakage paths
may cause the crystal to be off-frequency or
experience other abnormal behavior.
FIGURE 2:
ESR of the Crystal
Note:
The duty cycle mentioned in this
document refers to the 32 kHz digital clock
provided by the secondary oscillator. This
can be measured on a REFO pin by configuring the REFO pin for 32 kHz or this
can be measured on the RTCC pin by
configuring the RTCC module.
UNUSED ADJACENT I/O
I/O
I/O
I/O
SOSCO
SOSCI
I/O
I/O
I/O
Do not connect adjacent unused I/O to ground.
Do not connect adjacent unused I/O to ground.
DS00001798A-page 2
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN1798
FIGURE 3:
SOSC DUTY vs. ESR
90
80
Duty (%)
70
60
ESR (kOhm)
SOSC Duty (%)
14.0
71.7
23.5
56.3
27.9
53.6
50
36.8
51.8
40
37.4
51.6
30
48.2
50.3
51.4
49.8
20
C1,C2 = 22 pF, VDD = 3.3V, Temperature = +25ºC
10
10
30
50
ESR (kOhm)
Load Capacitance
If the ESR is much higher than the optimal value, it may
result in starting problems, as well as slowing down the
oscillator start-up, so care should be taken to monitor
the duty cycle and select the ESR to achieve an
optimum value. The recommended oscillator value for
reliable operation is 50K typical and 65K/75K max.
There is also a recommended specification for the duty
cycle to make sure there are no missing counts. It is
recommended that the duty cycle of the SOSC digital
clock be within 35%-65% for reliable SOSC operation
without any missing counts.
The load capacitance is another parameter provided in
the crystal data sheet. It is represented as CL and is
calculated as follows:
C L =  C 1  C 2    C 1 + C 2  + C stray
Figure 4 shows the variation of the SOSC duty cycle
vs. the loading capacitor, with a constant ESR, VDD and
temperature.
Since C1 = C2, then the capacitors are selected by:
C1, C2 =  C L – Cstray   2
For example, a 32 kHz crystal with a 12.5 pF load
capacitance, the recommended values of C1 and C2
are 22 pF ±5%, 50V NP0 (Negative-Positive 0 ppm/°C)
ceramic.
FIGURE 4:
DUTY vs. CL
90
80
Duty (%)
70
60
C1, C2 (pF)
Duty (%)
22
56.3
18
62.3
15
70.1
50
12
Not Functional
40
10
Not Functional
VDD = 3.3V
Temperature = +25°C
30
20
10
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
C1, C2 (pF)
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS00001798A-page 3
AN1798
The higher the loading capacitor, the better the duty
cycle. Therefore, when calculating the CL based on
Example 1, always try to use the highest value closest
to the calculated loading capacitor.
Using a loading capacitor with too high a value will
cause problems, so after selecting the optimum loading
capacitor, the SOSC should be characterized across
voltage and temperature. Selecting a much higher
value than the recommended capacitor may result in
the SOSC not starting-up.
EXAMPLE 1:
LOADING CAPACITOR
CALCULATION
If CL = 12.5 pF (Load capacitance provided by the
vendor):
C L =  C 1  C 2    C 1 + C 2  + C stray
Assuming Cstray = 2 pF and C1 = C2:
C1 = 2(CL – Cstray)
C1 = 2(12.5 pF-2 pF)
C1 =2(10.5 pF) = 21 pF
Note 1:
DS00001798A-page 4
In these examples, do not use a loading
capacitor below 21 pF. It is recommended
to use the next standard ceramic
capacitor value of 22 pF.
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN1798
Effect of Voltage
There is an internal analog comparator that generates
the 32 kHz digital clock. With a lower ESR value, the
operation of this comparator will be unstable. This
instability is more dominant when the VDD is higher.
When the VDD is lower, this internal comparator tends
to work in a stable mode.
The VDD at which the device is operated also plays a
role in SOSC behavior. The SOSC tends to have a
more stable operation at a lower VDD.
FIGURE 5:
DUTY vs. VDD
90
VDD (V)
Duty (%)
3.6
58.1
3.3
56.3
60
3.0
54.9
50
2.7
54.6
40
2.4
54.5
2.1
54.6
80
Duty (%)
70
30
Temperature = +25ºC
20
ESR = 23.5 kOhm
C1, C2 = 22 pF
10
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
VDD (V)
Effect of Temperature
temperature is varied from -40ºC to +85ºC, the best
performance is found at +85ºC. Behavior starts
deteriorating as the temperature gets closer to -40ºC.
The performance of the secondary oscillator is more
stable at higher temperatures. With experiments
conducted on a low-ESR crystal (ESR of 23.5 kOhm),
the oscillator performance is better for higher
temperatures (as shown in Figure 6). When the
FIGURE 6:
If the ESR of the crystal is increased to 70K ESR, as
recommended, the impact of negative temperatures
will not have a significant effect on oscillator behavior.
DUTY vs. TEMPERATURE
90
TA (ºC)
Duty (%)
-40
No Output
80
Duty (%)
70
-10
No Output
60
-5
79.9(1)
50
0
71.1(1)
40
10
63.3
25
56.3
50
52.3
20
65
51.3
10
85
50.3
30
-60
-40 -20
0
20
40
TA (ºC)
Note 1:
60
80
100
VDD = 3.3V
ESR = 23.5 kOhm
C1,C2 = 22 pF
Violates the duty cycle specification of 35% to 65%.
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS00001798A-page 5
AN1798
CONCLUSION
The parameters of operating voltage, temperature,
loading capacitors, ESR and layout play a role in SOSC
behavior. To improve the Secondary Oscillator
performance, the following criteria should be met:
• Use the recommended layout as discussed in the
Layout and PCB Cleaning section.
• Use a high-ESR (70K max) crystal to provide an
optimum performance across temperature and
voltage.
• Use a higher loading capacitor (use a crystal of
CL = 12.5) for a better duty cycle.
• A lower VDD, within the VDD operating range,
provides reliable performance.
• The higher the temperature, the better the
performance of the oscillator.
To provide a guideline for crystal selection, an ESR of
50K typical (65K/70K max) is recommended for an
optimum performance across temperature and voltage.
FIGURE 7:
It is recommended to avoid any switching signals
adjacent to the SOSC pins to avoid noise due to the
low-power SOSC design.
Note:
It is strongly recommended to get the
oscillator characterized by the crystal vendor.
Tests with Seiko Crystals
Further tests were conducted with Seiko crystals to
confirm the above mentioned parameters. Three Seiko
crystals with different ESRs were used for conducting
the tests.
f_tol (x10-6) CL (pF)
ESRMAX
(kOhm)
Product
f_num (Hz)
VT-200-F
32768
±20
12.5
SSP-T7-F
32768
±20
12.5
65
SC-32S
32768
±20
12.5
70
50
Figure 7, Figure 8 and Figure 9 show the test results
for the three crystals.
DUTY vs. TEMPERATURE
90
VT-200F
SSP-T7F
SC-32S
80
Duty (%)
70
VDD = 3.3V
TA (ºC)
Duty (%)
VT-200-F SSP-T7-F
SC-32S
-40
64.4
64.3
53.4
60
25
53.8
53.9
51.5
50
85
51.2
51.9
49.5
C1, C2 = 18 pF
VDD = 3.3V
40
30
20
10
-60
-40 -20
0
20
40
60
80
100
TA (ºC)
DS00001798A-page 6
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN1798
FIGURE 8:
DUTY vs. CL
90
VT-200F
SSP-T7F
SC-32S
80
Duty (%)
70
VDD = 3.3V
Duty (%)
C1, C2 (pF) VT-200-F SSP-T7-F
SC-32S
22
51.6
51.8
49.6
18
53.8
53.9
51.5
50
15
57.1
57.1
52.8
40
12
63.4
63.8
55.0
10
72.4
73.7
58.8
60
30
Temperature = +25ºC
VDD = 3.3V
20
10
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
C1, C2 (pF)
FIGURE 9:
DUTY vs. VDD
90
-40ºC
80
VDD (V)
Duty (%)
70
Duty (%)
VT-200-F SSP-T7-F
SC-32S
3.6
68.8
68.9
54.5
3.3
64.4
64.3
53.4
3.0
61.0
61.0
53.1
40
2.7
58.2
58.2
52.9
30
2.4
56.6
56.6
53.0
2.1
57.5
57.5
54.0
60
50
20
10
2.0
2.5
3.0
VDD
3.5
4.0
Temperature = -40ºC
VDD = 3.6V
V T-200- F
SSP -T7-F
SC- 32S
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS00001798A-page 7
AN1798
NOTES:
DS00001798A-page 8
 2014 Microchip Technology Inc.
Note the following details of the code protection feature on Microchip devices:
•
Microchip products meet the specification contained in their particular Microchip Data Sheet.
•
Microchip believes that its family of products is one of the most secure families of its kind on the market today, when used in the
intended manner and under normal conditions.
•
There are dishonest and possibly illegal methods used to breach the code protection feature. All of these methods, to our
knowledge, require using the Microchip products in a manner outside the operating specifications contained in Microchip’s Data
Sheets. Most likely, the person doing so is engaged in theft of intellectual property.
•
Microchip is willing to work with the customer who is concerned about the integrity of their code.
•
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Code protection is constantly evolving. We at Microchip are committed to continuously improving the code protection features of our
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ISBN: 978-1-63276-611-3
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DS00001798A-page 9
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