SNAS668E August 2015 – September 2024 LMK03328
PRODUCTION DATA
Sub-fractional spurs appear at a fraction of fPD/DEN and depend on modulator order. With the first order modulator, there are no sub-fractional spurs. The second order modulator can produce 1/2 sub-fractional spurs if the denominator is even. A third order modulator can produce sub-fractional spurs at 1/2, 1/3, or 1/6 of the offset, depending if the spur is divisible by 2 or 3. For instance, if the phase detector frequency is 100 MHz and the fraction is 3/100, no sub-fractional spurs for a first order modulator or sub-fractional spurs at multiples of 1.5 MHz for a second or third order modulator are expected. Aside from strategically choosing the fractional denominator and using a lower order modulator, another tactic to eliminate these spurs is to use dithering and express the fraction in larger equivalent terms. Since dithering also adds phase noise, the level needs to be managed to achieve acceptable phase noise and spurious performance.
Table 10-1 gives a summary of the spurs discussed so far and techniques to mitigate them.
SPUR TYPE | OFFSET | REDUCTION METHODS | TRADE-OFFS |
---|---|---|---|
Phase Detector | fPD | Reduce Phase Detector Frequency. | Although reducing the phase detector frequency does improve this spur, the reduction also degrades phase noise. |
Integer Boundary | fVCO mod fPD | Methods for PLL Dominated Spurs - Avoid the worst case VCO frequencies if possible. - Provide good slew rate and signal integrity at reference input. - Reduce loop bandwidth or add more filter poles to suppress out of band spurs. | Reducing the loop bandwidth can degrade the total integrated noise if the bandwidth is too narrow. |
Methods for VCO Dominated Spurs - Avoid the worst case VCO frequencies if possible. - Reduce Phase Detector Frequency. - Provide good slew rate and signal integrity at reference input. | Reducing the phase detector can degrade the phase noise. | ||
Primary Fractional | fPD/DEN | - Decrease Loop Bandwidth. - Change Modulator Order. - Use Larger Unequivalent Fractions. | Decreasing the loop bandwidth can degrade in-band phase noise. Also, larger unequivalent fractions does not always reduce spurs. |
Sub-Fractional | fPD/DEN/k k=2,3, or 6 | - Use dithering. - Use Larger Equivalent Fractions. - Use Larger Unequivalent Fractions. - Reduce Modulator Order. - Eliminate factors of 2 or 3 in denominator. | Dithering and larger fractions can increase phase noise. |