Innovate or Perish: Managing the Enduring Technology Company in the Global Market

Examples

Three examples of the application of the SAILS methodology applied to subsystem-level situations are presented below. Aspects of these examples are historically descriptive, as well as predictive, or forecasting, in nature. They are intended to represent the wide range of disruptive opportunities and threats that have been and can be identified during road-mapping activities by using the components of this methodology.

Example 1: Frequency Generation Subsystems in Wireless Communication Super-Systems

Temperature-compensated crystal oscillators (TCXOs) provide the precise frequencies, stable over time and under temperature variation, which enable communication over multiple frequency bands or the synchronized behavior of a computer. While the TCXO industry has generally progressed along the lines of smaller, faster, cheaper products, some significant disruptive technologies have arisen to challenge industry participants.

A simple bill of materials for a conventional TCXO is shown schematically in Exhibit 8.3. The impedance of the crystal and varactor in the feedback loop define the resonant frequency of the subsystem. Temperature variations are compensated for through the use of a temperature sensor. A temperature dependent bias applied to the varactor is used to modify the impedance of the feedback loop and, thus, maintain precise control of the oscillator frequency, which is a prime objective of this subsystem.

Exhibit 8.3. Temperature-Compensated Crystal Oscillator ...