Development of 622.08 MHz SAWR-based VCO for 10 Gbit Ethernet application

Oscillators based on the SAW (surface acoustic wave) technology in general, offer lower noise compared to the conventional crystal oscillators at higher frequencies. SAW resonator-based VCO (voltage-controlled oscillator) can be an important component in the phase locked loop (PLL) subsystem for clock and data recovery (CDR), clock smoothing or frequency translation in the SONET/SDH (synchronous optical network / synchronous digital hierarchy) optical fiber communication systems. In this paper, the developing procedures and test results for 622.08 MHz SAWR-based VCO are recorded. The test results include the variation of frequency over operating temperature range and control voltage range, waveform and phase jitter. The absolute pulling range, frequency-voltage linearity, and phase jitter measured are + 124ppm/-98 ppm, 6.38% and 0.14 psec, respectively.