2006/09/15/

Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce commercialization of 4MHz in thickness shear vibration mode (AT-cut) which is a small SMD crystal unit, NX8045 (8.0mm × 4.5mm × 1.8mm size).

It had been considered extremely difficult to realize miniaturization and low frequency in thickness shear vibration mode which has superior electrical characteristics.

By our miniaturization design techniques of crystal unit that we have been developing for a long time and by our own production technique to realize that, we succeeded at the commercialization without damaging the superior characteristics of thickness shear vibration mode.

This commercialization made it possible for NX8045GB series to cover the frequency range from 4MHz to 40MHz in fundamental wave of thickness shear vibration.

<Outline>

In increasingly-miniaturized electronic components, crystal units are becoming remarkably miniaturized, and it led to mass production of 1.6mm × 1.2mm size.

However, since it is very difficult to realize low frequency in small package, we have coped with great demand for the fundamental clock frequency ranging from 4MHz to 6MHz, used for micro computer and such, by middle sized products (see picture below) such as NX1255GA, AT-51, and AT-41 etc. By recognition of the potential customer needs to miniaturize the products in this frequency range whose demand is not going to be weak from now on, we have put effort into miniaturization of products in this range. The result is that we succeeded at commercialization of small SMD crystal unit of NX8045GB in the frequency down to 4MHz.

Picture : Crystal Units
(NX8045GB-new product, NX1255GB, AT-41, AT-51, starting from the left)

<Development Concept>

They have been pursuing lighter, more compact, and more power saving electronics devices in recent years. Their electrical characteristics and environment resistance are supposed to perform the same or better than the conventional ones.

Meanwhile, since the inside crystal wafer became small along with the package miniaturization, it was difficult to realize low frequency. Therefore, products are generally made in higher frequency at first and then miniaturized. However, the power consumption of the circuit increases when making it to the high frequency and thus miniaturization and electrical power saving did not go together.

Competing demands for miniaturization and electrical power saving are balanced only by miniaturizing “low frequency range”.

There are some other vibration modes other than “thickness-shear vibration mode” to realize lower frequency. However, we aimed to develop it in “thickness-shear vibration mode” which has the superior temperature characteristics, possessing high reliability, and in which we can realize the conventional electrical characteristics and price range.

As a reliability of this product is established, it is especially ideal for use in automotive electronics devices.

We are planning to start delivering samples which will be priced at about 100 yen per unit in September 2006, and to begin mass production in January 2007.

<Product Features / Specification Summary>

1. This product has smaller area of base by 55% and greater dimensions by 40% than our conventional crystal unit NX1255GB (11.8mm × 5.5mm × 2.5mm)
2. Electrical Characteristics;