Disclosed herein is an apparatus that includes a variable clock divider configured to divide a first clock signal to generate a second clock signal, a delay circuit configured to delay the second clock signal to generate a third clock signal, and a phase detector configured to compare phases of the second arid third clock signals. The variable clock divider has a division ratio that is variable based, at least in part, on a delay amount of the delay circuit.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus that includes a variable clock divider configured to divide a first clock signal to generate a second clock signal, a delay circuit configured to delay the second clock signal to generate a third clock signal, and a phase detector configured to compare phases of the second arid third clock signals. The variable clock divider has a division ratio that is variable based, at least in part, on a delay amount of the delay circuit.

Apparatus and methods for tuning a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) are provided. In one aspect, a method of auto-tuning in a phase-locked loop includes generating a VCO clock signal using a VCO coupled to a capacitor array, dividing the VCO clock signal to generate a divided clock signal using a prescaler circuit having a selectable division ratio, controlling a value of the selectable division ratio using a first counter and a second counter of a counter module, generating a phase-frequency detector feedback signal based on a division control signal M and the divided clock signal using the counter module, counting a number of cycles of the divided clock signal that occur during a calibration interval using a cycle counter of a digital processing logic circuit, and determining the value of a capacitor array control signal based on the number of cycles counted during the calibration interval.

Apparatus and methods for tuning a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) are provided. In one aspect, a method of auto-tuning in a phase-locked loop includes generating a VCO clock signal using a VCO coupled to a capacitor array, dividing the VCO clock signal to generate a divided clock signal using a prescaler circuit having a selectable division ratio, controlling a value of the selectable division ratio using a first counter and a second counter of a counter module, generating a phase-frequency detector feedback signal based on a division control signal M and the divided clock signal using the counter module, counting a number of cycles of the divided clock signal that occur during a calibration interval using a cycle counter of a digital processing logic circuit, and determining the value of a capacitor array control signal based on the number of cycles counted during the calibration interval.

Reducing transient response in a phase-locked loop circuit. In one instance, a system including a phase detector; a cycle slip detector; and a charge pump electrically connected to the phase detector is provided. The charge pump includes an adapt mode charge pump configured to bypass the phase detector with the cycle slip detector when a frequency error surpasses a first error threshold and an instantaneous frequency surpasses a desired frequency threshold. The charge pump also includes an adapt mode, programmable trickle current source configured to provide a ramp-up trickle current to the phase-locked loop circuit.

A frequency divider circuit comprises a first divider chain including at least one first divider cell and a second divider chain coupled to the first divider chain to form an extendable divider chain. The second divider chain includes at least one second divider cell with a respective reset control. An effective length of the extendable divider chain may be altered, dynamically, via the respective reset control. Altering the effective length, dynamically, enables a division ratio of the frequency divider circuit to be changed, dynamically. The frequency divider circuit may be advantageously employed by applications that rely upon a dynamic division ratio, such as a fractional-N (frac-N) phase-locked loop (PLL).

A frequency divider circuit comprises a first divider chain including at least one first divider cell and a second divider chain coupled to the first divider chain to form an extendable divider chain. The second divider chain includes at least one second divider cell with a respective reset control. An effective length of the extendable divider chain may be altered, dynamically, via the respective reset control. Altering the effective length, dynamically, enables a division ratio of the frequency divider circuit to be changed, dynamically. The frequency divider circuit may be advantageously employed by applications that rely upon a dynamic division ratio, such as a fractional-N (frac-N) phase-locked loop (PLL).

An example clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit includes a phase interpolator, a fractional-N phase locked loop (PLL) configured to supply a clock signal to the phase interpolator, and a phase detector configured to generate a phase detect result signal in response to phase detection of data samples and crossing samples of a received signal, the data samples and the crossing samples being generated based on a data phase and a crossing phase, respectively, or a sampling clock supplied by a phase interpolator. The CDR circuit further includes a digital loop filter configured to generate a phase interpolator code for controlling the phase interpolator, the digital loop filter including a phase path and a frequency path. The CDR circuit further includes a control circuit configured to control the digital loop filter to disconnect the frequency path from the phase path and to connect the frequency path to a control input of the fractional-N PLL.

There is disclosed configurable frequency-divider circuitry for generating a target signal of a frequency Fr/Di based on a reference signal of a frequency Fr, where Di is an integer divider ratio, the frequency-divider circuitry comprising: N divider stages organised into a ring, each stage configured to receive an input signal and generate an output signal, with the output signal of each successive stage in the ring being the input signal of the next stage in the ring, wherein: the ring of stages is controlled by the reference signal so that the output signals are governed by the reference signal; the target signal is one of the output signals or a signal derived therefrom; and at least one of the stages is a configurable stage, whose mode of operation is configurable based on a configuration signal to configure the value of Di.

A setting data output circuit (3) is configured to update setting data in synchronization with a frequency divided signal output from a dual modulus frequency divider on a last stage out of the dual modulus frequency dividers to which a non-significant reset signal is output from a reset circuit (6) which are included in a plurality of dual modulus frequency dividers (1-1 and 1-2) in a first frequency divider group (1). As a result, when a frequency dividing ratio of the dual modulus frequency divider on the last stage out of valid dual modulus frequency dividers contributing to frequency dividing operation is 3, it is possible to realize normal frequency dividing operation even in a case in which frequency dividing ratio setting data to decrease the number of valid dual modulus frequency dividers contributing to the frequency dividing operation is provided.