Phase noise measurements of 10-MHz BVA quartz crystal resonators

In this paper, we review a new piece of equipment that allows one to characterize the phase noise of crystal resonators using a phase bridge system with carrier suppression. This equipment allows one to measure the inherent phase stability of quartz crystal resonators in a passive circuit without the noise usually associated with an active oscillator. We achieved a system noise floor of approximately -150 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz and -160 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz. A SPICE (simulating program with integrated circuits emphasis) characterization of the carrier suppression system is given. An investigation of the phase modulation (PM) noise in 10-MHz BVA, SC-cut quartz crystal resonator pairs is presented.