Patent ID: 11870451
Assignee: VIAVI SOLUTIONS INC.
Field: Basic communication processes (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A frequency synthesizer, comprising:
a multiplier to:
receive a first signal with a first frequency that is a multiple of an input frequency of a reference signal provided to the frequency synthesizer; and
multiply the first frequency to obtain a local signal with a local frequency;

a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) bank comprising a plurality of VCOs, wherein a VCO in the VCO bank is selected to provide a VCO signal with a VCO frequency based on a tuning voltage; and
a phase-locked loop (PLL) comprising a phase detector, a charge pump, and a frequency divider, the PLL to:
receive the first signal and a second signal with a second frequency, the second signal comprising the local signal and the VCO signal mixed together; and
generate the tuning voltage to control the selected VCO based on a phase comparison of the first signal and the second signal, wherein
the VCO bank is on-chip in an integrated circuit (IC) with an output circuit, and
the PLL is off-chip external to the IC.