Design of compact frequency synthesizer for self-calibration in RF circuits

A compact frequency synthesizer based on a phase locked loop (PLL) is designed for the self-calibration in RF circuits. The main advantage of the presented frequency synthesizer is that it can be built in a small silicon area using MOSFET interface trap charge pump (ITCP) current generators. The ITCP current generator makes it possible to use small currents at nano-ampere levels so that small capacitances can be used in the loop filter. A large resistance, which is required to compensate for the reduced capacitances, is implemented using an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA). An ITCP current generator is used as a tail current source for the OTA in order to realize a small transconductance. The presented frequency synthesizer has the output frequency range from 570 MHz to 600 MHz with a 100 KHz frequency step. Total silicon area is about 0.3 mm2 using AMIS 0.5 ??m CMOS technology, and the power consumption is 26.7 mW with 3 V single power supply

A wideband frequency synthesizer for built-in self testing of analog integrated circuits

The cost to test chips has risen tremendously. Additionally, the process for testing all functionalities of both analog and digital part is far from simple. One attractive option is moving some or all of the testing functions onto the chip itself leading to the use of built-in self-tests (BISTs). The frequency generator or frequency synthesizer is a key element of the BIST. It generates the clock frequencies needed for testing. A wide-band frequency synthesizer is designed in the project. The architecture of a PLL is analyzed as well as the modifications carried out. The modified structure has three blocks: basic PLL based frequency synthesizer, frequency down-converter, and output selector. Each of these blocks is analyzed and designed. This frequency synthesizer system overcomes challenges faced by the traditional PLL based frequency synthesizer