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201 McLean Blvd, Paterson, NJ 07504 Tel: (973) 881-8800 Fax: (973) 881-8361
E-mail: sales@synergymwave.com Web Site: http://www.synergymwave.com
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Question: What is the difference between
a conventional one-loop synthesizer and
the fractional-N synthesizer?
Answer: The step size of a conventional
synthesizer is equal to the reference
frequency applied to the phase/frequency
discriminator. In a fractional-division
synthesizer, clever mathematical averag-
ing inside the chip allows quasi-arbitrary
frequency resolution compared to the
reference frequency.
Question: What phase-noise improve-
ment does the fractional-division synthe-
sizer provide?
Answer: Given a single-loop synthesizer
with 200-kHz reference and comparing this
to a fractional synthesizer with a reference
of 20 MHz, we automatically get a 40-dB
improvement inside the loop bandwidth.
Outside the loop bandwidth, the system
reproduces the phase noise of the oscilla-
tor. The improvement achieved is 20 log
(f
out/fref
), where f
out is the VCO output
frequency and f
ref
is the reference fre-
quency.
Question: Why does Synergy Microwave
recommend a reference frequency of
120 MHz?
Answer: The actual reference frequency
derived from the reference standard in the
Synergy fractional-N-division synthesizer is
based on the output frequency selected. We
have determined that a 120-MHz crystal
reference standard, divided down to a refer-
ence frequency that is selected by the intelli-
gent system, gives the best spurious re-
sponse. This mechanism, which changes
the actual reference frequency as a function
of the output frequency, minimizes spurious
signals at the output. To get a wide range of
the highest possible reference frequencies, it
is desirable to use a high-frequency reference
standard that on one hand is stable, and on
the other hand has the best phase noise.
Question: How does the reference standard
influence the phase noise?
Answer: We have found that a 120-MHz
reference standard gives the most universal
application and best phase-noise perfor-
mance. Since the most common industry-
standard reference frequencies are 10, 15,
and 20 MHz, the optional evaluation board
includes a means of locking its 120-MHz
crystal oscillator to the signal from an external
oscillator operating on one of these frequen-
cies. The evaluation-board crystal oscillator
then serves as the reference standard for the
synthesizer.