ZHCSE74C September 2015 – May 2025 LMK61E2
PRODUCTION DATA
These 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 offset is divisible by 2 or 3. For instance, if the phase detector frequency is 100MHz and the fraction is 3/100, no sub-fractional spurs for a first order modulator or sub-fractional spurs at multiples of 1.5MHz for a second or third order modulator is 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. Because dithering also adds phase noise, the level needs to be managed to achieve acceptable phase noise and spurious performance.
Table 9-1 summarizes spur and mitigation techniques.
| SPUR TYPE | OFFSET | WAYS TO REDUCE | TRADE-OFFS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase Detector | fPD | Reduce Phase Detector Frequency. | Although reducing the phase detector frequency does improve this spur, this reduction also degrades phase noise. |
| Integer Boundary | fVCO mod fPD | Methods for PLL Dominated Spurs | Reducing the loop bandwidth can degrade the total integrated noise if the bandwidth is too narrow. |
| - 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. | |||
| Methods for VCO Dominated Spurs | Reducing the phase detector can degrade the phase noise. | ||
| - Avoid the worst case VCO frequencies if possible. | |||
| - Reduce Phase Detector Frequency. | |||
| - Provide good slew rate and signal integrity at reference input. | |||
| Primary Fractional | fPD/DEN | - Decrease Loop Bandwidth. | Decreasing the loop bandwidth can degrade in-band phase noise. Also, larger inequivalent fractions do not always reduce spurs. |
| - Change Modulator Order. | |||
| - Use Larger Inequivalent Fractions. | |||
| Sub-Fractional | fPD/DEN/k k=2,3, or 6 | - Use Dithering. | Dithering and larger fractions can increase phase noise. |
| - Use Larger Equivalent Fractions. | |||
| - Use Larger Inequivalent Fractions. | |||
| - Reduce Modulator Order. | |||
| - Eliminate factors of 2 or 3 in denominator. |