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arXiv · 2105.10992

Phase Noise and Frequency Accuracy in Crystal-less Wireless Edge Nodes

Abstract

This paper presents a fundamental analysis connecting phase noise and long-term frequency accuracy of oscillators and explores the possibilities and limitations in crystal-less frequency calibration for wireless edge nodes from a noise-impact perspective. N-period-average jitter (NPAJ) is introduced as a link between the spectral characterization of phase noise and long-term frequency accuracy. It is found that flicker noise or other colored noise profiles coming from the reference in a frequency synthesizer is the dominant noise source affecting long-term frequency accuracy. An average processing unit embedded in an ADPLL is proposed based on the N-period-average jitter concept to enhance frequency accuracy in a Calibrate and Open-loop scenario commonly used in low power radios. With this low-cost block, the frequency calibration accuracy can be directly associated with the reference noise performance. Thus, the feasibility of XO-less design with certain communication standards can be easily evaluated with the proposed theory.

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BibTeXRIS

Xing Chen, David D Wentzloff. 2021-05-23. Phase Noise and Frequency Accuracy in Crystal-less Wireless Edge Nodes. https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.10992

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