company blog about Supply ON Clock Generation Evaluation Board:PLL Clock Generator,Zero Delay Buffer

Supply ON Clock Generation Evaluation Board:PLL Clock Generator,Zero Delay Buffer

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PLL Clock Generator Evaluation Board: The Cornerstone of Precise Frequency Synthesis

Phase-locked loop frequency synthesizers form the core of generating high-precision, programmable clocks. ON Semiconductor's PLL clock generator evaluation boards (such as the NB4N507ADEVB) demonstrate its technical prowess in frequency synthesis.

Taking the NB4N507ADEVB evaluation board as an example, it is specifically designed for evaluating the NB4N507A PECL clock synthesiser. The board's design embodies ease of use and flexibility:

Hardware Design: On-board slide switches enable convenient control of the logic levels for the multiplier selection pins (S0, S1) and output enable pin (OE), reducing the need for additional wiring. SMA connectors provide standard RF test points for auxiliary input and output interfaces.

Power Supply and Compatibility: Supports either a single 3.3V or 5.0V supply, or separate power supplies, ensuring broad compatibility.

Layout and Process: Utilises Getek board material to control 50Ω transmission line impedance, minimising noise, achieving high bandwidth, and reducing crosstalk. This ensures evaluation results accurately reflect the chip's inherent performance.

Such evaluation boards enable engineers to rapidly validate synthesiser jitter performance when generating specific frequencies (e.g., 100MHz, 156.25MHz required for PCIe, Ethernet), serving as the starting point for constructing high-speed serial link reference clock systems.

Zero-Delay Buffer Evaluation Board: Guardian of Timing Coherence

Zero-delay buffers are critical in applications requiring multiple synchronous clock domains, such as servers and network equipment. They maintain phase alignment between input and output while generating multiple clock copies, achieving ‘zero delay’ (more accurately, predictable, fixed delay). ON Semiconductor offers multiple ZDB evaluation boards, such as the NB3W800LMNGEVB for the NB3W800L device.

ON Semiconductor's ZDB solutions (such as the NB3N1200K/NB3W1200L) are deeply optimised for critical applications like PCIe:

High-performance outputs: Provide 12 differential HCSL/NMOS push-pull outputs, optimised for 100MHz and 133MHz, fully meeting the stringent phase jitter specifications of PCIe Gen 2/3 and Intel QPI.

Low EMI and Controllable Delay: Supports spread spectrum functionality to reduce electromagnetic interference, featuring pseudo-external fixed feedback to minimise input-to-output delay variation.

Flexible Configuration: Each output possesses an independent function control pin, allowing users to configure features such as spread spectrum via the I²C interface.

Version Selection: The NB3W1200L serves as a low-power variant, suitable for energy-efficient systems with shorter transmission lines (<20 inches); while the NB3N1200K employs standard HCSL outputs to maintain signal integrity over extended transmission distances.

Using the corresponding evaluation board, engineers can verify whether additional jitter introduced by the buffer remains within budget under multiple load conditions, and validate the system EMI improvement achieved by its spread-spectrum functionality.

Typical Application Scenarios: Driving Modern Digital Infrastructure

The chip solutions supported by ON Semiconductor's clock evaluation boards serve sectors with extreme timing demands:

Data Centres and Servers: This represents the most critical application arena for the evaluation boards. Here, clock solutions must meet the stringent jitter requirements of PCIe and QPI/UPI buses. The evaluation board verifies whether the clock generator and ZDB can deliver pristine clocks to CPUs, GPUs, NVMe SSDs, and network interfaces, ensuring the reliability of high-speed data interconnects. ON Semiconductor's solution has been proven to meet and exceed the requirements of PCIe generations 1 through 3.

Network Communication Equipment: 4G/5G base stations, optical transport networks, and synchronous Ethernet devices require ultra-low-jitter clocks for data sampling and protocol synchronisation. The evaluation board facilitates verification of clock chip capabilities in filtering input jitter and generating multiple synchronised clocks, meeting stringent telecom standards such as ITU-T G.8262.

High-Performance Computing and Test & Measurement: In these domains, long-term clock stability and low phase noise are paramount. The evaluation board enables engineers to precisely characterise clock chip performance across wide temperature ranges, establishing the timing foundation for precision instruments and computing systems.