A CMOS delay locked loop and sub-nanosecond time-to-digital converter chip

Journal Article · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/23.507177· OSTI ID:276487

Santos, D M ^[1]; Dow, S F; Flasck, J M; Levi, M E ^[2]

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1. Aveiro Univ. (Portugal)
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States)

Phase-locked loops have been employed in the past to obtain sub-nanosecond time resolution in high energy physics and nuclear science applications. An alternative solution based on a delay-locked loop (DLL) is described. This solution allows for a very high level of integration yet still offers resolution in the sub-nanosecond regime. Two variations on this solution are outlined. A novel phase detector, based on the Mueller C-element, is used to implement a charge pump where the injected charge approaches zero as the loop approaches lock on the leading edge of an input clock reference. This greatly reduces timing jitter. In the second variation the loop locks to both the leading and trailing clock edges. In this second implementation, software coded layout generators are used to automatically layout a highly integrated, multichannel, time-to-digital converter (TDC) targeted for one specific frequency. The two circuits, DLL and TDC, are implemented in CMOS 1.2 {micro}m and 0.8 {micro}m technologies, respectively. Test results show a timing jitter of less than 30 ps for the DLL circuit and less than 190 ps integral and differential nonlinearity for the TDC circuit.

• OSTI ID: 276487
• Report Number(s): CONF-951073--
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science Journal Issue: 3Pt2 Vol. 43; ISSN 0018-9499; ISSN IETNAE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

44 INSTRUMENTATION
INCLUDING NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE DETECTORS
ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTERS
DESIGN
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
PERFORMANCE
RADIATION DETECTORS
RESOLUTION
TIME MEASUREMENT
TIMING CIRCUITS
TIMING PROPERTIES