A wide band frequency synthesizer may include a primary phase-locked loop (PLL) to receive a signal that include a local signal and a VCO signal mixed together and to generate the tuning voltage based on a phase comparison of the local signal and the VCO signal. The local signal may be obtained from a reference signal through frequency multiplication. If the primary PLL fails to lock onto an output frequency, a secondary PLL (acquisition circuit) may be switched in performing a phase comparison between the reference signal and the VCO signal to generate the tuning voltage. The secondary PLL may then provide the tuning voltage to an output of the primary PLL.

Some examples described herein provide an integrated circuit comprising an auxiliary clock and data recovery (CDR) circuitry. The CDR circuitry is configured to oversample an incoming data signal and generate a locked clock signal. The auxiliary CDR circuitry may comprise a phase-locked loop (PLL) configured to receive the incoming data signal and generate the locked clock signal. The PLL may comprise a phase detector (PD) configured to receive the incoming data signal and capture a number of samples of the incoming data signal in response to a number of adjacent clock signals and minimum data transition thresholds implemented by an intersymbol interference (ISI) filter, the minimum data transition thresholds identifying minimum data transitions in the incoming data signal.

Voltage-controlled oscillation circuitry includes multiple cores and multiple mode or gain boosters coupled between the multiple cores. To prevent an undesired operating mode of the voltage-controlled oscillation circuitry from dominating a desired operating mode (e.g., an in-phase operating mode or an out-of-phase operating mode), the mode boosters may increase a desired gain of the desired operating mode and decrease an undesired gain of the undesired operating modes. In particular, mode boosters coupled to terminals of the cores that are associated with the desired operating mode may be enabled, while mode boosters coupled to terminals of the cores that are associated with the undesired operating mode may be disabled.

Disclosed is a frequency dividing circuit, a frequency dividing method and a phase locked loop. The frequency dividing circuit comprises: a clock selection unit outputting a first clock signal, select a second clock signal lagging behind the first clock signal by (½-1/M) of one phase; an integer frequency dividing unit performing frequency division on the first clock signal to provide a frequency-divided clock signal; a trigger unit triggering the frequency-divided clock signal according to the second clock signal to obtain a modulation clock signal; a switching signal unit providing a switching signal according to the modulation clock signal and a preset target output frequency. The clock selection unit selects and further outputs a third clock signal as the first clock signal according to the target phase selection information, to adjust the frequency of the frequency-divided clock signal, reduce noise and improve loop bandwidth of the phase locked loop.

A sensing device that is configured to determine a depth result based on time-of-flight value is introduced. The sensing device includes a delay locked loop circuit, a plurality of time-to-digital converters, a multiplexer and a digital integrator. The delay locked loop circuit is configured to output a plurality of delay clock signals through output terminals of the delay locked loop circuit. The plurality of time-to-digital converters include a plurality of latches. The multiplexer is configured to select a sub-group of m latches among the latches of the plurality of time-to-digital converters to be connected to the output terminals of the delay locked loop circuit according to a control signal. The digital integrator is coupled to the plurality of time-to-digital converters and is configured to integrate digital outputs generated by the time-to-digital converters in each of n cycles to generate n raw data frames, wherein m and n are natural numbers, and the n raw data frames are used to generate the depth result.

A novel phase locked loop design utilizing novel phase-frequency detector, charge pump, loop filter and voltage controlled oscillator is disclosed. The phase-frequency detector includes a dual reset D-flip flop for use in multi-GHz phase locked loops. Traditional dead zone issues associated with phase frequency detector are improved/addressed by use with a charge transfer-based PLL charge pump.

A time to digital converter has a counter, a first phase difference detector, a first capacitor, a second capacitor having capacitance N times a capacitance of the first capacitor, a comparator to compare a charge voltage of the first capacitor with a charge voltage of the second capacitor, a first charge controller, a first phase difference arithmetic unit, a second phase difference detector, a second charge controller, a second phase difference arithmetic unit to operate the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, and a third phase difference arithmetic unit to detect a fractional phase difference between the first signal and the second signal. The first phase difference arithmetic unit operates the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, based on a reference phase, when the counter suspends a measurement operation.

An integrated circuit with a phase-locked loop (PLL) is provided. The PLL may include a phase frequency detector, a charge pump, a source follower circuit, a variable oscillator, a frequency divider, and a control block. The phase frequency detector may be configured to align or lock a feedback clock signal to a reference clock signal. The control block includes clock loss detection circuits that are used to determine whether the reference clock signal or the feedback clock signal has stopped toggling. In response to detecting a clock loss event for either the reference or the feedback clock signal, the control block may disable the phase frequency detector to place the charge pump in a tristate mode and may apply a predetermined bias voltage to the source follower circuit to help minimize electrical overstress.

In a PLL circuit, first an ILFD is connected to an output voltage Vtune from an LPF, thereby causing the ILFD to operate as an oscillator. The ILFD, a DIV, PFD, CP, and LPF form a PLL and thereby locking operations are initiated. When a predetermined time elapses, an output frequency from the ILFD converges into a certain value and the PLL is subjected to a locked state. After the locked state is reached, a sample hold circuit SH holds the output voltage Vtune from the loop filter as of that time and frequency adjustment of the ILFD is completed. Similar frequency adjustment is sequentially performed on other ILFDs.

An apparatus includes a signal generator. The signal generator includes a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) coupled to provide an output signal having a frequency. The signal generator further includes an asymmetric divider coupled to receive the output signal of the VCO and to provide an output signal. The output signal of the asymmetric divider has a frequency that is half the frequency of the output signal of the VCO. The asymmetric divider presents a balanced load to the VCO.