Synthesiser design [digital cellular handsets]

Frequency synthesiser design for current high performance digital cellular handsets is key to the overall operation of the radio system. This paper considers the design requirements as well as the technical issues in meeting those requirements and highlights some of the many pitfalls that a designer has to avoid. The key features to consider when selecting a synthesiser chip are discussed including the data interface, phase detector, loop amplifier and loop filter. The key technical design issues discussed are carrier pulling, noise, microphony, and sideband suppression sampling