Silicon Clocks

About Silicon Clocks

Silicon Clocks, Inc. operated as a fabless semiconductor company, focusing on the development of high-performance semiconductor timing and sensor designs. Founded in 2006 by Emmanuel Quevy, a post-doctoral researcher, and Dr. Roger Howe, a professor of Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley, the company was headquartered in Fremont, California. The founders' backgrounds in sensor and actuator research were foundational to the company's direction.

The core of Silicon Clocks' business was its proprietary and patented CMEMS™ (CMOS + MEMS) technology. This process allowed for the fabrication of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators and sensors directly onto standard CMOS wafers. This integration represented a significant shift from traditional methods that required separate, co-packaged MEMS and IC components, which often led to issues with electrical parasitics. By creating a monolithic piece of silicon with timing, sensing, and optical capabilities, the CMEMS™ technology offered a path to reduce system costs, power consumption, and physical size while improving performance and reliability.

The company's business model involved licensing its CMEMS™ technology platform, which included design and manufacturing intellectual property (IP), to semiconductor companies, foundries, and integrated device manufacturers (IDMs). This enabled clients to add timing capabilities directly to their own chip designs. Target markets for these integrated timing solutions included a wide range of electronic systems, such as high-speed serial data, wireless communications, consumer electronics, computing, and automotive applications. One of its product lines was the J-Series family of low-jitter timing products.

Throughout its operation, Silicon Clocks secured significant financial backing from prominent venture capital firms, including Tallwood Venture Capital, Charles River Ventures, Formative Ventures, and Lux Capital. The company raised a total of $46.7 million over several funding rounds. A notable Series C round in June 2009 raised $10.3 million and was led by Silicon Labs, which would later acquire the company. In April 2010, Silicon Laboratories Inc. (now Silicon Labs) acquired Silicon Clocks, integrating its team and portfolio of 20 key patents. The acquisition was a strategic move for Silicon Labs to enhance its timing products for high-volume applications and leverage the CMEMS platform for integrating various MEMS structures with CMOS circuitry on a single die.