Long term aging of oscillators

Aging results for more than 40 oscillators, from a variety of sources, for periods ranging from 1 year to more than 10 years are reported. The aging data were accumulated with an automated aging facility. The oscillators include temperature compensated crystal oscillators (TCXOs) and oversized crystal oscillators (OCXOs). The TCXOs were maintained in a controlled temperature environment. Data were collected while the TCXOs were maintained in a controlled temperature environment at +60° or at -40°C. The oversized oscillators were in laboratory ambient where the internal thermal control circuit maintained a nominally constant temperature. In several instances, oscillators were subjected to extreme temperature changes, either a return to room temperature or an exposure to temperatures below -40°C. After the -40°C storage, the OCXOs were returned to room ambient before restarting. The aging data were accumulated with an automated aging facility