5 MHz Phase Detector With Low Residual Flicker

Published

September 15, 2011

Author(s)

Corey A. Barnes, Archita Hati, Craig W. Nelson, David A. Howe

Abstract

The measurement of close-to carrier phase modulation (PM) noise of state-of-the-art oscillators is always challenging. Quite often the residual noise of the phase detector used in these measurements is the source of difficulty. In particular at Fourier offset frequencies between 5 and 100 Hz, oscillator noise has a slope of f- -3 and may be lower than the mixer noise floor which follows a slope of f- -1. A conventional double balanced mixer (DBM) using 2N2222A transistors as the non-linear components of a diode ring is constructed for use as a phase detector. Residual single-sideband PM noise measurements at 5 MHz for this device have shown an extremely low flicker noise floor of L(10 Hz) = -165 dBc/Hz. The low noise floor of this mixer makes the device ideal for use as a detector for PM noise measurement systems. Implementing this mixer design in a dual-channel measurement system, a cross-correlated PM noise floor of better then L(10Hz) = -170 dBc/Hz is expected. These features set this DBM design apart from other mixers used for phase detection at 5 MHz.

Citation

Electronics Letters

Volume

47

Issue

19

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

Flicker noise, mixers, phase detector, phase noise

Citation

Barnes, C. , Hati, A. , Nelson, C. and Howe, D. (2011), 5 MHz Phase Detector With Low Residual Flicker, Electronics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=908622 (Accessed October 3, 2025)