NSC DS90UR241

National Semiconductor
Application Note 2068
December 2, 2010
Compliance to EMI limits is often a challenge. Spread spectrum clocking is commonly used to minimize EMI. The effect
of modulating periodic signals, both clock and data, reduces
the peak emissions by spreading the energy over a range of
frequencies. The DS90UR241 and DS90UR124 chipset allows the use of spread spectrum clock and data inputs. The
following is a discussion of spread spectrum clock characteristics and the interaction with DS90UR241/124 chipset.
nection between serializer and deserializer (no cable). No
effects of additional jitter or cable length are included.
Additional factors associated with spread spectrum operation
must also be considered. A modulated clock output may contain additional higher frequency jitter components – beyond
the modulation frequency. It is important that this additional
jitter not exceed the input jitter tolerance of the downstream
device. Per the DS90UR241 specification, the input jitter tolerance is ±100ps (200ps pk-pk) at the maximum operating
frequency of 43MHz. This value scales with input clock period. For example, at 33MHz the recommended input clock
jitter maximum increases to 260ps pk-pk. Please refer to the
Appendix for a description of measuring peak-to-peak jitter.
The frequency profile of the modulated signal is also important. There are two common modulation profiles – triangle and
Lexmark (“Hershey Kiss”). Both apply a fixed modulation rate
to the clock signal, and are proven to effectively reduce EMI.
The DS90UR241/124 is targeted to support these two profiles. Note that some other profiles do exist, with slightly
different behavior (i.e. varying the modulation rate over a
range of frequencies). The DS90UR241/124 is not guaranteed to operate properly with these alternative modulation
profiles.
Spread Spectrum Modulation
Three key parameters, frequency deviation, modulation frequency and modulation profile, are used to define a spread
spectrum output. Most spread spectrum generators will modulate the fundamental clock frequency by several percent.
This modulation may be “center spread” or “down spread”.
The rate of this frequency change, modulation frequency, is
often quite slow in comparison to the fundamental clock frequency - typically in the 10’s of kHz range.
Table 1 provides guidance for the frequency deviation and
modulation frequencies supported by the DS90UR241/124
chipset. This data is based on testing with an ideal source.
The input clock signal was modulated by the triangle output
of an arbitrary waveform generator. There was a direct con-
DS90UR241/124 Spread Spectrum Tolerance Support
DS90UR241/124 Spread
Spectrum Tolerance
Support
30126401
FIGURE 1. SSC Triangle Modulation
TABLE 1. Frequency and Modulation Frequencies for SSC (Triangle Modulation Profile)
Maximum fdev
Maximum fmod
PCLK = 33 MHz
PCLK = 8 MHz
±4% center spread (8% total)
20 kHz
5 kHz
±2% center spread (4% total)
50 kHz
25 kHz
AN-2068
© 2010 National Semiconductor Corporation
301264
www.national.com
AN-2068
OUTPUT JITTER / INPUT JITTER (dB)
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
0.01
0.1
1
INPUT JITTER FREQUENCY (MHz)
10
30126402
FIGURE 2. Example of PLL Jitter Transfer (Theoretical)
When viewing the frequency spectra, the energy should be
spread evenly across a range as defined by the frequency
deviation. Outside of the specified range, the energy should
quickly reduce to baseline levels. Additional “peaks” outside
the desired deviation range are undesirable, resulting in a
high frequency component which the PLL will not track.
which the serializer maximum input jitter specification of
0.25UI must be applied. At input jitter frequencies above
2.6MHz, the magnitude of jitter should remain below 0.4UI.
Serializer Input Jitter across TCLK
Frequency
Theory of Operation: Serializer and
Deserializer PLL Response to Jitter
TCLK Frequency
(MHz)
Jitter Frequency
(MHz)
The bandwidth of the device PLL determines its fundamental
response to jitter. Input jitter with a frequency below the bandwidth of the PLL – “low frequency jitter” – will be tracked and
passed to the output of the PLL. As frequencies increase
above the PLL bandwidth, “high frequency” jitter begins to be
attenuated as per the jitter transfer curve. Maximum attenuation is achieved beyond the −6dB point. A typical PLL jitter
transfer curve is shown in Figure 2. This illustrates gain (ratio
of PLL input to output jitter) vs. the frequency of the jitter.
At the serializer input, jitter frequencies below the serializer
bandwidth will be tracked by the PLL, and passed along the
serial link to the downstream deserializer. Jitter with a frequency above the serializer bandwidth will be attenuated to
some degree as defined by the PLL’s jitter transfer curve.
Now let’s consider the input to the deserializer. As with the
serializer, any jitter below the deserializer bandwidth will be
tracked by the PLL and pass to the deserializer’s outputs.
Frequencies above the deserializer bandwidth are not
tracked, and must be considered with respect to the receiver’s
input jitter tolerance specification. For the DS90UR241/124 to
operate properly, the deserializer's input jitter tolerance specification (RxINTOL) must be satisfied. High frequency jitter at frequencies >2MHz - will not be tracked and must remain
below 0.5UI.
The purpose of the serializer's input jitter specification is to
ensure that jitter contributed by the serializer output is limited
such that deserializer's RxINTOL may be satisfied by the system. When a typical SSC modulation profile is applied (triange, Lexmark profile) the behavior of the serializer PLL is
predictable and follows the PLL jitter transfer curve. At frequencies above the serializer bandwidth (2.6MHz), the input
jitter will be attenuated. Therefore, it is critical to limit the jitter
at frequencies in the range of 2 - 2.6MHz. This is the range in
43
2 - 2.6
Maximum
Jitter pk-pk
(ps)
200
> 2.6
300
33
2 - 2.6
260
> 2.6
400
2 - 2.6
340
> 2.6
550
www.national.com
25
Alternate Modulation Profiles
The supported modulation profiles, triangle and Lexmark,
modulate the clock at a single frequency and do not generate
abrupt frequency steps. Some alternative SSC modulation
profiles have been shown to exhibit abrupt frequency steps,
and thus are not recommended. The instantaneous frequency step results in a frequency error, appearing as excessive
jitter at the output of the serializer PLL. Under these conditions
the serializer input jitter specification cannot be used to predict the behavior of the serializer output and guarantee link
performance. If an alternate modulation profile is employed,
the user must guarantee system operation by measuring the
jitter at the receiver input to ensure the RxINTOL specification
is satisfied
Response to SSC source
Spread spectrum clock sources modulate at frequencies well
below the bandwidth of the PLLs. This low frequency modulation is easily tracked by the PLLs, and passes along cleanly
to the output of the deserializer. However, the generated SSC
signal will have additional frequency components, some of
which may appear as high frequency jitter or frequency discontinuities. Depending upon the frequency and magnitude
of these additional jitter components, input jitter tolerance
2
sure the edges are monotonic in nature and have no reflections showing on the edges. If there is a reflection then the
jitter measurements will be larger than if there were no reflection.
1. In DPOJET (Jitter and Eye Diagram Analysis Tools)
CLICK ON:
2. Select \ Jitter \ TJ@BER
3. Configure \ Edges \ (under Signal Type) select Data
4. Configure \ Clock Recovery \ (under Method) select PLL
— Custom , (under PLL Model) select Type II, (under
Damping) enter 1.07 and (under Loop BW) enter 2MHz
5. Configure \ RjDj \ In the Data Signal Settings (under
Pattern Type) select Arbitrary, (under Window Length)
enter 5UI , (under Population) enter 28, and (under Jitter
Target BER) enter 12 for BER = 1E6. No filter(s) should be used with this measurement
7. Results \ Single (for Population = 1) or Run (for
Population > 1)
Appendix — Jitter Measurements
It is important to understand the high frequency jitter contribution of a spread spectrum clock source. The high frequency
peak-to-peak jitter can be measured using a real time scope
combined with jitter analysis software. When analyzing the
peak-to-peak jitter, high pass and band pass filters are applied. This focuses the analysis on the specified high-frequency jitter components, and ignores the intentional low
frequency modulation of the spread spectrum device. The
following section provides specific guidance to measure jitter
at the DS90UR241 (serializer) and DS90UR124 (deserializer)
inputs.
A number of platforms and tools are available for measurement and analysis of jitter. This section describes the use of
Tektronix digital sampling scope and DPOJET jitter analysis
tool.
Serializer input jitter should be measured as close as possible
to the serializer's TCLK input pin. This is an LVCMOS input
signal, switching at a frequency between 10MHz and 43MHz.
A low capacitance probe with a bandwidth of 1GHz is sufficient for measuring this input signal.
In DPOJET (Jitter and Eye Diagram Analysis Tools) CLICK
ON:
1. Select \ Jitter \ TJ@BER
2. Configure \ Edges \ (under Signal Type) select Clock
3. Configure \ Clock Recovery \ (under Method) select
Constant Clock – Mean and (under Auto Calc) select
Every Acq
4. Configure \ RjDj \ In the Data Signal Settings (under
Pattern Type) select Repeating, (under Pattern Length)
enter 2 for UI, and (under Jitter Target BER) enter 12 for
BER = 1E5. Configure \ Filters: (under Filter Spec) select 2nd
Order and (under High Pass (F1)) enter 2MHz for Freq
and (under Low Pass (F2)) select 2nd Order and enter
2.6MHz for Freq
6. To measure TJ >2.6MHz remove the Low Pass (F2)
select No Filter) and (under High Pass (F1)) enter
2.6MHz for Freq
7. Results \ Single (for Population = 1) or Run (for
Population > 1)
The deserializer input is a high speed differential serial
stream. As such, this should be measured across the deserializer input termination resistor using a low capacitance,
high-bandwidth (>3GHz) differential probe. Zoom in on the
serial stream and look at the rising and falling edges. Make
Equipment
1.
2.
3.
Tektronix DSA71604 16GHz 50GS/s Digital Serial
Analyzer with DPOJET software
Tektronix P7330 3.5GHz Differential Probe
Tektronix P6247 1GHz Differential Probe
Measurement in “UI”
The jitter specification for the receiver input (RxINTOL) is given in terms of unit interval (“UI”). The jitter measurements
provided by the jitter analysis tools are commonly presented
in terms of time units (i.e. picoseconds). This measured timebased value will need to be converted to UI terms for comparison with the 0.5UI specification. If the input clock rate
(TCLK) is known, it is simple to convert from a time-based
jitter measurement to jitter in terms of UI.
A unit interval (“UI”) is the time duration of 1 bit in the serialized
differential data stream. For every TCLK input clock period,
28 serialized bits are transferred over the differential link.
Thus, UI is defined as:UI = TCLK period (ps) / 28 bits
The conversion from measured jitter (time-based) to “UI” is:
jitter (ps) / UI (ps) = jitter (UI)
Here is an example for a system with input clock (TCLK) of
33MHz, and a measured jitter of 200ps.
• TCLK input clock period = 30303ps
• UI = 30303ps / 28 = 1082ps
• jitter (UI) = 200ps / 1082ps = 0.18UI
Revision History
November 10, 2010 : Updated to include jitter requirements
over frequency and provide detailed measurement instructions.
December 2, 2010 Updated to explain conversion to UI (unit
interval).
3
www.national.com
AN-2068
may be violated and potentially impact the ability to accurately
recover serialized data. Thus the quality of the SSC generated output is important in the selection of an SSC device. SSC
sources with triangle or Lexmark modulation profiles should
be used. It is recommended that the user select the minimum
spread spectrum fdev and fmod necessary to achieve EMC
compliance.
DS90UR241/124 Spread Spectrum Tolerance Support
Notes
For more National Semiconductor product information and proven design tools, visit the following Web sites at:
www.national.com
Products
Design Support
Amplifiers
www.national.com/amplifiers
WEBENCH® Tools
www.national.com/webench
Audio
www.national.com/audio
App Notes
www.national.com/appnotes
Clock and Timing
www.national.com/timing
Reference Designs
www.national.com/refdesigns
Data Converters
www.national.com/adc
Samples
www.national.com/samples
Interface
www.national.com/interface
Eval Boards
www.national.com/evalboards
LVDS
www.national.com/lvds
Packaging
www.national.com/packaging
Power Management
www.national.com/power
Green Compliance
www.national.com/quality/green
Switching Regulators
www.national.com/switchers
Distributors
www.national.com/contacts
LDOs
www.national.com/ldo
Quality and Reliability
www.national.com/quality
LED Lighting
www.national.com/led
Feedback/Support
www.national.com/feedback
Voltage References
www.national.com/vref
Design Made Easy
www.national.com/easy
www.national.com/powerwise
Applications & Markets
www.national.com/solutions
Mil/Aero
www.national.com/milaero
PowerWise® Solutions
Serial Digital Interface (SDI) www.national.com/sdi
Temperature Sensors
www.national.com/tempsensors SolarMagic™
www.national.com/solarmagic
PLL/VCO
www.national.com/wireless
www.national.com/training
PowerWise® Design
University
THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
(“NATIONAL”) PRODUCTS. NATIONAL MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY
OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS PUBLICATION AND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO
SPECIFICATIONS AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. NO LICENSE, WHETHER EXPRESS,
IMPLIED, ARISING BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS
DOCUMENT.
TESTING AND OTHER QUALITY CONTROLS ARE USED TO THE EXTENT NATIONAL DEEMS NECESSARY TO SUPPORT
NATIONAL’S PRODUCT WARRANTY. EXCEPT WHERE MANDATED BY GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS, TESTING OF ALL
PARAMETERS OF EACH PRODUCT IS NOT NECESSARILY PERFORMED. NATIONAL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR
APPLICATIONS ASSISTANCE OR BUYER PRODUCT DESIGN. BUYERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PRODUCTS AND
APPLICATIONS USING NATIONAL COMPONENTS. PRIOR TO USING OR DISTRIBUTING ANY PRODUCTS THAT INCLUDE
NATIONAL COMPONENTS, BUYERS SHOULD PROVIDE ADEQUATE DESIGN, TESTING AND OPERATING SAFEGUARDS.
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN NATIONAL’S TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE FOR SUCH PRODUCTS, NATIONAL ASSUMES NO
LIABILITY WHATSOEVER, AND NATIONAL DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY RELATING TO THE SALE
AND/OR USE OF NATIONAL PRODUCTS INCLUDING LIABILITY OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PATENT, COPYRIGHT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
RIGHT.
LIFE SUPPORT POLICY
NATIONAL’S PRODUCTS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR USE AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN LIFE SUPPORT DEVICES OR
SYSTEMS WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PRIOR WRITTEN APPROVAL OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND GENERAL
COUNSEL OF NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION. As used herein:
Life support devices or systems are devices which (a) are intended for surgical implant into the body, or (b) support or sustain life and
whose failure to perform when properly used in accordance with instructions for use provided in the labeling can be reasonably expected
to result in a significant injury to the user. A critical component is any component in a life support device or system whose failure to perform
can be reasonably expected to cause the failure of the life support device or system or to affect its safety or effectiveness.
National Semiconductor and the National Semiconductor logo are registered trademarks of National Semiconductor Corporation. All other
brand or product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
AN-2068
Copyright© 2010 National Semiconductor Corporation
For the most current product information visit us at www.national.com
National Semiconductor
Americas Technical
Support Center
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 1-800-272-9959
www.national.com
National Semiconductor Europe
Technical Support Center
Email: [email protected]
National Semiconductor Asia
Pacific Technical Support Center
Email: [email protected]
National Semiconductor Japan
Technical Support Center
Email: [email protected]