Temperature-reporting oscillator

In production or supply of an oscillator integrated circuit, the oscillator integrated circuit having an electrostatic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator, circuitry operable to produce a first signal according to motion of the MEMS resonator, a temperature sensor, a storage circuit, a package exterior, and one or more pins or contacts on the package exterior, the one or more pins or contacts including a clock output pin or contact operable to output a clock signal, derived from the first signal, for usage by a clocked circuit external to the oscillator integrated circuit, the temperature sensor operable to sense an operating temperature of the electrostatic MEMS resonator, the motion of the electrostatic MEMS resonator being dependent on a stiffness of the electrostatic MEMS resonator which varies as a function of the operating temperature, the clock signal to have a predetermined frequency, an improvement comprising:

• in one or more calibration operations:
• empirically measuring variation in frequency of the clock signal through a range of temperatures;
• and
• programming the storage circuit, via one of the one or more pins or contacts, to have:
• first data to be applied by the circuitry to generate a bias voltage for the electrostatic MEMS resonator, the bias voltage being adjusted according to the first data to reduce differences between the first signal and a target frequency;
• and
• second data to be used by the clocked circuit to correct timing provided by the clock signal so as to obtain the predetermined frequency;
• wherein the oscillator integrated circuit is to output, during operation of the oscillator integrated circuit, and via the one or more pins or contacts, the clock signal, a temperature signal which varies according to the operating temperature of the electrostatic MEMS resonator, and information to be used by the clocked circuit, dependent on each of the second data and the temperature signal, and notwithstanding the reduction of the differences between the first signal and the target frequency, to correct for residual frequency error between the timing provided by the clock signal and the target frequency, the information being dependent on the second data.

In production or supply of an oscillator integrated circuit, the oscillator integrated circuit having a piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator, circuitry operable to produce a first signal, a temperature sensor, a storage circuit, a package exterior, and one or more pins or contacts on the package exterior, the one or more pins or contacts including a clock output pin or contact operable to output a clock signal, derived from the first signal, for usage by a clocked circuit external to the oscillator integrated circuit, the temperature sensor operable to sense an operating temperature of the piezoelectric MEMS resonator, the motion of the piezoelectric MEMS resonator being dependent on a stiffness of the piezoelectric MEMS resonator which varies as a function of the operating temperature, the clock signal to have a predetermined frequency, an improvement comprising:

• in one or more calibration operations:
• empirically measuring variation in frequency of the clock signal through a range of temperatures;
• and
• programming the storage circuit, via one of the one or more pins or contacts, to have:
• first data to be applied by the circuitry to reduce differences between the first signal and a target frequency;
• and
• second data to be used by the clocked circuit to correct timing provided by the clock signal so as to obtain the predetermined frequency;
• wherein the oscillator integrated circuit is to output, during operation of the oscillator integrated circuit, and via the one or more pins or contacts, the clock signal, a temperature signal which varies according to the operating temperature of the piezoelectric MEMS resonator, and information to be used by the clocked circuit, dependent on each of the second data and the temperature signal, and notwithstanding the reduction of the differences between the first frequency and the target frequency, to correct for residual frequency error between the timing Provided by the clock signal and the target frequency, the information being dependent on the second data.