Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are essential wherever a local event is synchronized with a periodic external event. They are utilized as on-chip clock frequency generators to synthesize a low skew and higher internal frequ...Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are essential wherever a local event is synchronized with a periodic external event. They are utilized as on-chip clock frequency generators to synthesize a low skew and higher internal frequency clock from an external lower frequency signal and its characterization and measurement have recently been calling for more and more attention. In this paper, a built-in on-chip circuit for measuring jitter of PLL based on a duty cycle modulation vernier delay line is proposed and demonstrated. The circuit employs two delay lines to measure the timing difference and transform the difference signal into digital words. The vernier lines are composed of delay cells whose duty cycle can be adjusted by a feedback voltage. It enables the circuit to have a self calibration capability which eliminates the mismatch problem caused by the process variation.展开更多
This paper presents an on-chip measurement circuit to measure multi-giga bit cycle-to-cycle jitter based on the vernier oscillator (VO), which is inherited from the famous vernier delay line. The calibration method is...This paper presents an on-chip measurement circuit to measure multi-giga bit cycle-to-cycle jitter based on the vernier oscillator (VO), which is inherited from the famous vernier delay line. The calibration method is also given. The circuit adopts a differential digital controlled delay element, which makes the cir- cuit flexible in adjusting the measurement resolution, and a highly sensitive phase capturer, which makes the circuit able to measure jitters in pico-second range. The parallel structure makes it possible to measure consecutive cycle-to-cycle jitters. The performance of the circuit was verified via simulation with SMIC 0.18 μm process. During simulation under the clock with the period of 750 ps, the error between the measured RMS jitter and the theoretical RMS jitter was just 2.79 ps. Monte Carlo analysis was also conducted. With more advanced technology, the circuit can work better. This new structure can be implemented in chips as a built-in self-test IP core for testing jitter of PLL or other clocks.展开更多
文摘Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are essential wherever a local event is synchronized with a periodic external event. They are utilized as on-chip clock frequency generators to synthesize a low skew and higher internal frequency clock from an external lower frequency signal and its characterization and measurement have recently been calling for more and more attention. In this paper, a built-in on-chip circuit for measuring jitter of PLL based on a duty cycle modulation vernier delay line is proposed and demonstrated. The circuit employs two delay lines to measure the timing difference and transform the difference signal into digital words. The vernier lines are composed of delay cells whose duty cycle can be adjusted by a feedback voltage. It enables the circuit to have a self calibration capability which eliminates the mismatch problem caused by the process variation.
文摘This paper presents an on-chip measurement circuit to measure multi-giga bit cycle-to-cycle jitter based on the vernier oscillator (VO), which is inherited from the famous vernier delay line. The calibration method is also given. The circuit adopts a differential digital controlled delay element, which makes the cir- cuit flexible in adjusting the measurement resolution, and a highly sensitive phase capturer, which makes the circuit able to measure jitters in pico-second range. The parallel structure makes it possible to measure consecutive cycle-to-cycle jitters. The performance of the circuit was verified via simulation with SMIC 0.18 μm process. During simulation under the clock with the period of 750 ps, the error between the measured RMS jitter and the theoretical RMS jitter was just 2.79 ps. Monte Carlo analysis was also conducted. With more advanced technology, the circuit can work better. This new structure can be implemented in chips as a built-in self-test IP core for testing jitter of PLL or other clocks.
