# Patent

## Title
Jitter measuring system and method

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a jitter measuring system, comprising: a delay circuit for receiving a clock signal and delaying the clock signal to generate a delay signal; a jitter amplifier for receiving the clock signal and delay signal to generate a first signal and a second signal; and a converter for converting a phase different between the first signal and the second signal into a relevant digital code; wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is an amplification of jitter.

## Background
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a jitter measuring system and a method thereof.
Measuring timing jitter is a challenge common to the design of high-speed systems. In the old days the demand is not high, since most systems are designed to transmit signals in low speed to avoid this problem. As a result, the requirement for jitter measurement is not high. For example, if the jitter ratio is 5% and the clock operation frequency is 100 MHz, jitter is 500 ps. In such a case the requirement for jitter measurement is not stringent. However, as IC technology, digital technology, computer usage, and the demand for communication bandwidth progress, all sorts of protocols now require faster speed and broader bandwidth. Under these new protocols, how to accurately measuring timing jitter becomes an important issue. For example, for a same 5% jitter ratio in 10 GHz clock signal, the jitter is required to be Sps.
Currently, jitter measurement is done using external instruments. However, measuring cost and accuracy become problems as the system operational speed increases. When measuring a high frequency signal (GHz) by oscilloscopes, in order to obtain accurate results, the sampling rate needs to be high, say often greater than 10 GS/s, and special software and hardware are needed. High speed oscilloscopes often cost tens of thousands US dollars or more. Also, using external devices to measure signals inside chips may run the risk of accuracy diminishing. For instances, interference caused by the measuring environment, limitation of the bandwidth of the I/O interface, and noise from output buffers of the chips are all causes that may reduce accuracy.
Although timing jitter is defined as the amount of phase shift, measuring definitions may vary for different applications. For example, period jitter is defined as the amount of phase shift between a real clock period and an ideal period, cycle-to-cycle jitter characterizes the time difference between two adjacent clock periods, and long-term jitter represents the accumulated period jitter after n periods. These three jitter definitions are commonly found in the system specifications regulated by the industry and are applied to specifications with different speeds. As an example, period jitter and long-term jitter are mostly applied to regulate timing margin in low speed systems. If setup-time is less than period jitter, system error may occur because there is not enough time to retrieve data; the specification sets the maximum tolerable limit for this. However, with the increase in clock speed, a system clock may be distributed to different circuits, and any tiny change in every period may affect the system. For example, delay locked loop (DLL) is often used for de-skewing clock, and if the jitter of reference clock exceeds the tracking frequency of the loop, the loop may be unlocked and system error appears. Therefore, cycle-to-cycle jitter is usually regulated in high speed clock jitter measurement. Also, period jitter and long-term jitter can be measured by using a digital story oscilloscope (DSO) to fix the rising edge and falling edge at one point and to accumulate the waves. On the other hand, due to the irregular nature of cycle-to-cycle jitter, there is no reference point for measurement. Making an effort to measure jitter between two subsequent clock cycles requires extremely fast sampling rate, and is very costly.
Currently, jitter measurement are done using time analysis method. Although there are different frameworks for doing this, these frameworks all are based on the concept of Time-to-Digital Conversion. However, there are some common problems in these frameworks, namely slow operational speed and low resolution. PC peripherals available on the market mostly are in the MHz range. As for CPUs and I/O interfaces, these are in the GHz range. Specification of jitter in high-speed systems is defined in tens of picoseconds, if the measuring devices lacked resolution and bandwidth, the measured signals cannot be verified.
Referring to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a diagram of a known Time-to-Digital Conversion circuit for measuring jitter. When jitter occurs in a clock signal SUT, its edge would drift away from its ideal place. The common way is to delay the SUT one period (SUTd) and measure the jitter of each period edge. This is done by sending the SUT into a delay chain as sample data, and the SUTd is the sampled clock. SUTd will generate digital information, which resembles thermal-meter codes when sampling SUT's with different delay amounts, and this digital information represents measured jitter value. For example, if the delay chain is made of 10 delay units with a delay amount of 25-ps and the clock period jitter is 10-ps, the sampling result is [Q1:Q10]=1000000000. When the jitter is 30-ps, [Q1:Q10]=110000000. Basically, when jitter increases, the 1's in the digital information increase.
As discussed above, because resolution and delay amount of the delay unit are inversely proportioned, unless the delay amount is designed to be small, errors would occur. According to the example given above, ideally, when jitter is either 0.1-ps or 24.9-ps, the digital values both are [Q1:Q10]=10000000000 and its maximum error is close to delay time of one delay buffer. This kind of error may induce quantization error especially when testing in high speed and low jitter application. One may try to shorten the delay time to reduce error by enhancing the circuit boards, but this is difficult due to manufacturing limitations and requires more hardware spaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The exemplary embodiment of the current invention provides a jitter measuring system, comprising: a delay circuit, for receiving a clock signal and delaying the clock signal to generate a delay signal; a jitter amplifier, for amplifying the received clock signal and delay signal to generate a first signal and a second signal; and a converter, for converting the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal into a digital value; wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is the amplified value of input jitter of the clock signal.
Another exemplary embodiment of the current invention also provides a jitter measuring method, comprising: receiving a clock signal; generating a delay signal according to the clock signal; generating a first signal and a second signal according to the clock signal and the delay signal; and determining the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal; wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is an amplified amount of the jitter value of the clock signal.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary jitter measurement system schematic in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 2 shows the signal waveforms of a jitter measurement system in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary jitter amplifying circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 4 is a table showing the correlations of the switches of the charging circuits.
FIG. 5 shows the correlation of the signals of the jitter amplifying circuit.
FIG. 6 shows the time sequences of the jitter amplifying circuit.
FIG. 7 shows an exemplary jitter measurement system schematic in accordance with detailed embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 8 shows pulse absorption of a pulse absorbing circuit.
FIG. 9 shows an exemplary threshold circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 10 shows the amplification of the jitter amplifier under different operating frequencies in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 11 shows the transfer curve between original jitter and amplified jitter in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 12 shows the relationship between clock signals and their corresponding digital values in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 13 shows time-digital conversion circuit of a known jitter measuring method.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The current invention discloses a jitter measurement system and method for measuring clock jitter. FIG. 1 shows a jitter measurement system schematic in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention. The jitter measurement system of the embodiment is for measuring the cycle-to-cycle jitter of a clock signal. The jitter measurement system comprises a delay circuit 10, a jitter amplifier 20, and a converter 30.
The delay circuit 10 is for receiving a clock signal SUT and for delaying the clock signal SUT to generate a delay signal SUTd. In a preferred embodiment of the current invention, the delay signal SUTd is delayed by one cycle relative to the clock signal SUT. The jitter amplifier 20 is for receiving the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd to generate a first signal Φ1 and a second signal Φ2. The converter 30 converts the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2 to find the clock signal SUT jitter.
FIG. 2 shows the signal waveforms of the jitter measurement system. The phase difference P1 between the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd is the jitter of the clock signal SUT, and the phase difference P2 between the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2 is K times to the phase difference P1, or K times the jitter of the clock signal SUT. The converter 30 converts the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2 to find the phase difference P2, which is the amplified jitter of the clock signal SUT. The jitter measurement system can thus measure the original jitter of the clock signal SUT with improved resolution by 1/K.
Accordingly, the jitter measurement system of the current invention measures jitter by amplifying the phase difference (jitter) of the clock signal SUT using the jitter amplifier 20 to get an amplified phase difference for a more accurate measurement result of the original jitter of the clock signal SUT.
The jitter amplifier 20 controls a plurality of electric current sources to charge different loads according to the detected triggering times of the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd. The first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2 are defined according to the charging rates of different loads, and the amplification of jitter is achieved by the phase difference P2 between the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ1.
FIG. 3 shows a jitter amplifier 20 schematic in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention. The jitter amplifier 20 comprises a charging circuit 21 and a control circuit 22. The charging circuit 21 receives the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd and generates a set of the reference voltages V1 and V2, and the control circuit 22 receives the reference voltages V1 and V2 to generate the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2.
The charging circuit 21 comprises two electric current sources I1 and I2 for charging a load L1 to generate the reference voltage V1 and comprises one electric current source I3 for charging a load L2 to generate the reference voltage V2. Vth is a predetermined threshold voltage. Electric current sources I2 and I3 output the same current L and electric current source I1 outputs current nL, where n=I1/I2=I1/I3. The charging circuit 21 further comprises a switch S1, which receives the clock signal SUT and an inverted signal of the delay signal SUTd through an AND Gate D1, a switch S2, which receives the clock signal SUT, and a switch S3, which receives the delay signal SUTd. Switch S1, S2, and S3 are for controlling the passage of electric current sources I1, I2, and I3 respectively.
The control circuit 22 comprises two comparators A1 and A2. The comparator A1 compares the reference voltage V1 and the threshold voltage Vth and outputs the first signal Φ1. The comparator A2 compares the reference voltage V2 with the threshold voltage Vth and outputs the second signal Φ2.
FIG. 4 is a table showing the correlations of the switches S1, S2, and S3. The correlations of the switches S1, S2, S3 are described as below.
When the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd both are not triggered at low voltage levels, the switches S1, S2, and S3 are switched off. This results in the electric current sources I1, I2, and I3 not able to the charge the loads L1 and L2. Hence the reference voltages V1 and V2 are low.
When the clock signal SUT is triggered and at a high voltage level, while the delay signal SUTd remains at a low voltage level, the switches S1 and S2 are turned on, and the switch S3 is turned off. The load L1 is charged by electric current sources I1 and I2 at a rate of (1+n)L and the reference voltage V1 increases. The reference voltage V2 remains low.
When the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd are both triggered and at high voltage levels, the switches S2 and S3 are switched on and the switch S1 is switched off. The loads L1 and L2 are charged by electric current sources I2 and I3 respectively at a rate of 1L and the reference voltages V1 and V2 increase at the same rate.
When the clock signal reaches its negative edge and is at low voltage level while the delay signal SUTd remains at high voltage level, the switches S1 and S2 are turned off and the switch S3 is on. The the load L2 is continually charged by electric current source I3 at a rate of 1L to pull up the reference voltage V2. The reference voltage V1 returns to a low voltage level.
The above description of the charging circuit 21 helps to clarify the relationship between the first signal and the second signal outputted by the jitter amplifier 20. FIG. 5 shows the signal correlations of the jitter amplifier 20. VH is the voltage at high stabilizing level. As shown, the delay signal is generated by delaying the clock signal by one cycle. Due to jitter, the clock signal in the second cycle is triggered earlier or latter than the delay signal by ΔT, and there occurs a phase difference P1 between the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd. The timing of when the reference voltages V1 and V2 each reach the threshold voltage Vth can be obtained by obtaining the loads L1 and L2.
The reference voltage V1 initially increases at the rate of (1+n)L for a time period, ΔT. When the delay signal SUTd also reaches high voltage level, the reference voltages V1 and V2 both increase at the rate of 1L. Therefore, when the reference voltage V1 reaches the high stabilizing level VH, the reference voltage V2 still needs (1+n)LΔT amount of time to reach VH.
Referring to the schematic of the control circuit 22 (FIG. 3), the comparator A1 outputs the first signal Φ1 to be high level voltage or low level voltage by comparing the reference voltage V1 with the threshold voltage Vth, and the comparator A2 outputs the second signal Φ2 to be high level voltage or low level voltage by comparing the reference voltage V2 with the threshold voltage Vth. The clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd are triggered by ΔT apart. The time difference between when the reference voltage V1 reaches VH and the reference voltage V2 reaches VH is (1+n)ΔT, which means Φ2 is triggered after Φ1 by (1+n)ΔT. The phase difference P2 between Φ1 and Φ2 is therefore (1+n)P1. The amplification K=(1+n).
Therefore, by lowering the currents of the electric current sources I1, I2, and I3, the charging slope of loads L1 and L2 is lowered, and the jitter between the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd is amplified. The phase difference P1 between the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd is amplified, and the amplified phase difference P2 is measured and converted back to obtain the phase difference P1.
Because the jitter amplifier 20 amplifies jitter by the charging rate of the currents, the jitter amplifier 20 operating under high frequencies will amplify non-linearly and lost resolution. Referring to FIG. 6, which shows the time sequences of the jitter amplifier 20, part (a) is when the jitter amplifier 20 operates under low frequency, part (b) is when the jitter amplifier 20 operates under threshold frequency, and part (c) is when the jitter amplifier 20 operates under high frequency. VH and VL are high level and low level stabilizing voltages respectively. t1 and t2 are the time for the reference voltages V1 and V2 take to reach the high stabilizing level . tf is the time for the clock signal SUT takes to reach its negative edge. The periods between t1, t2 to tf is called the steady-state zone.
Referring to part (a) of FIG. 6, when the jitter amplifier 20 is operating under low frequency, jitter is less than half of a cycle and the time, t1 and t2, for the reference voltages take to reach the high level stabilizing voltage VH are less than tf. As a result, the ratio of the phase difference P2 of the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2 outputted by the control circuit 22 to P1 can be maintained. In other words, the amplification K of the jitter amplifier 20 is constant.
Referring to part (b) of FIG. 6, when the cycle of the clock signal SUT is reduced, the time it takes to reach negative edge tf shortens, and if tf is close to the time it takes for the reference voltage V2 to reach high stabilizing level, t2, the jitter amplifier 20 is able to maintain its amplification, but the operating frequency can not be higher. This operating frequency is called the threshold operating frequency.
Referring to part (c) of FIG. 6, when the operating frequency exceeds the threshold operating frequency, as a result, tf is shorter than t2, and then the amplification of the jitter amplifier 20 becomes non-linear as tf rises before the reference voltages V1 and V2 reaching VH. When tf rises before t2, the reference voltages V1 and V2 are constrained by new voltage levels VH′ and VL′, and the timing of the reference voltages V1 and V2 reaching stabilizing voltage will change in the next cycle due to the new reference point VL′ of the reference voltages V1 and V2. As a result, the phase difference P2 changes.
FIG. 7 is the schematic of the exemplary jitter measurement system in accordance with another embodiment of the current invention. In the current embodiment, the reference voltage V2 is able to reach the high level stabilizing voltage VH before the time to reach negative edge tf. The problem of non-linear amplification is thus resolved. The jitter measurement system comprises all the elements listed in FIG. 1 and further comprises a pulse absorbing circuit 40, a phase selecting circuit 50, and a synchronizing circuit 60.
The pulse absorbing circuit 40 is connected to the jitter amplifier 20 and amplifies the clock signal SUT. The phase selecting circuit 50 is for determining the relationship between the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2 received and generating a measuring clock ΦA and a sample clock ΦB to the converter 30 for jitter measurement. The synchronizing circuit 60 synchronizes the signals received for software and hardware analysis later on.
The pulse absorbing circuit 40 delays tf to maintain the amplification of the jitter amplifier 20 under different operating frequencies. Referring to FIG. 8, the pulse absorbing circuit 40 removes 0.5 cycle of the received clock signal when the frequencies of the clock signal SUT and the delay signal SUTd are 100 MHz, tf is delayed to increase the steady-state zone so the received clock signal becomes an ideal clock signal. As the operating frequency of the received clock signal increases, the number of cycles removed by the pulse absorbing circuit 40 is increased to maintain the received clock signal ideal.
The phase selecting circuit 50 determines the relationship between the first signal Φ1 and the second signal Φ2, and selects the leading signal to be the measurement signal ΦA and the lagging signal to be the sample signal ΦB.
As jitter of the clock signal SUT increases, jitter may be measured directly and the need of amplifying may no longer exist. The current invention further comprises a threshold circuit for determining whether amplification is needed.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary threshold circuit 70 in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention. The threshold circuit 70 comprises a converter 71, a synchronizing circuit 72, a control circuit 73, and a digital code selector (DCS) 74.
The converter 71 is a traditional time-digital converter for receiving the ideal clock signal SUT generated by the pulse absorbing circuit 40 and the delay signal SUTd. The control circuit 73 is for receiving the jitter quantized by the converter 30 and determining whether to use the converter 71 to measure jitter. When the digital output code of the jitter amplification 20 is fully loaded, the threshold circuit 70 switches to the output of the time-digital converter 71 and the digital value selector 74 determines the current output data based on the jitter and data generated by the synchronizing circuit 60. As a result, the time and cost for measurement are reduced.
FIG. 10 shows the relationship between amplification of the jitter amplifier and the operating frequency in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention. The pulse absorbing circuit 40 absorbs different number of cycles of the received clock signal when operating under different frequencies, and hence creates enough steady-state zone for the jitter amplifier 20. As shown, when the clock signal is operating under 1.6 GHz, the amplification of the jitter amplifier 20 is kept at around 25.5 times. When the clock signal is operating above 1.6 GHz, the time it takes for the clock signal to reach negative edge gets closer to the threshold time of the received clock signal and the amplification of the jitter amplifier 20 starts to decrease. As the operating frequency of the received clock signal continues to increase, the time to reach negative edge happens before the threshold time and the amplification of the jitter amplifier decreases sharply. Therefore, in the current embodiment, the amplification of the jitter amplifier remains constant when operating between tens of MHz to 1.6 GHz, and the number of cycles to be removed by the pulse absorbing circuit 40 can be set above 1.6 GHz.
FIG. 11 shows the relational curve between original jitter and amplified jitter in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention. As shown, the jitter amplifier consistently amplifies jitter whether when operating under low frequency or high frequency.
FIG. 12 shows the relationship between clock signals SUT and their corresponding quantization digital codes in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention. As shown, the ratio between the amplification of the jitter amplifier 20 and the delay time of the delay circuit 10 is 25:50 (1:2). Under this condition, the best resolution that can be measured is 50/25=2 ps, which means the digital codes vary once every 2 ps. The resolution may be changed by changing the amplification of the jitter amplifier 20 or the delay time of the delay circuit 10.
High resolution measurement of jitter is measured by amplifying the received clock signal in the current invention. By utilizing the pulse absorbing circuit, the steady-state zone is increased to obtain constant amplification and reduce measurement errors caused by frequency changes.
While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the present invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

## Claims

1. A jitter measuring system, comprising:
a delay circuit for receiving a clock signal and delaying the clock signal to generate a delay signal;
a jitter amplifier for receiving the clock signal and the delay signal to generate a first signal and a second signal; and
a converter for converting a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal into a digital value;
wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is an amplified amount of a jitter value of the clock signal; and
wherein the jitter amplifier comprises a first electric current source, a second electric current source, a third electric current source, a first load, and a second load, wherein the first electric current source and the second electric current source charge the first load to generate a first reference voltage, and the third electric current source charges the second load to generate a second reference voltage.

2. The jitter measuring system of claim 1, wherein when the currents of the first, second, and third electric current sources are varied, the charging rates of the respective first and second loads are varied, and the jitter value between the clock signal and the delay signal is amplified.

3. The jitter measuring system of claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal are generated by comparing the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage with a base voltage respectively.

4. The jitter measuring system of claim 1, wherein the first electric current source is triggered by an inverted signal of the delay signal combined with the clock signal, the second electric current source is triggered by the clock signal, and the third electric current source is triggered by the delay signal.

5. A jitter measuring system, comprising:
a delay circuit for receiving a clock signal and delaying the clock signal to generate a delay signal;
a jitter amplifier for receiving the clock signal and the delay signal to generate a first signal and a second signal;
a converter for converting a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal into a digital value; wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is an amplified amount of a jitter value of the clock signal; and
a pulse absorbing circuit for receiving the clock signal and the delay signal, and generates an ideal clock signal and an ideal delay signal respectively to the jitter amplifier.

6. The jitter measuring system of claim 5, wherein the pulse absorbing circuit removes parts of the cycles of the clock signal and the delay signal to increase the cycles of the clock signal in response to a variation of operating frequency thereof and generates the ideal clock signal and the ideal delay signal.

7. The jitter measuring system of claim 5, further comprising a threshold circuit for receiving and transmitting the ideal clock signal and the ideal delay signal to the jitter amplifier, wherein the threshold circuit detects a phase difference between the ideal clock signal and the ideal delay signal.

8. The jitter measuring system of claim 7, wherein the threshold circuit further comprises a control circuit, and the control circuit stops transmitting the ideal clock signal and the ideal delay signal to the jitter amplifier when the phase difference between the ideal clock signal and the ideal delay signal is greater than a predetermined value.

9. A method for measuring jitter, comprising:
receiving a clock signal;
generating a delay signal in response to the clock signal;
generating a first signal and a second signal in response to the clock signal and the delay signal; and
determining a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal;
wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is an amplified amount of a jitter value of the clock signal;
wherein a plurality of loads are charged by triggering a plurality of electric current sources with the clock signal and the delay signal, so as to generate a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage; and
wherein the first signal and the second signal are generated by comparing the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage with a base voltage respectively.

10. The method for measuring jitter of claim 9, wherein the plurality of loads are charged at a respective charging rate which is varied when the currents of the electric current sources are varied, whereby the jitter between the clock signal and the delay signal is amplified.

11. A method for measuring jitter, comprising:
receiving a clock signal;
generating a delay signal in response to the clock signal;
generating a first signal and a second signal in response to the clock signal and the delay signal; and
determining a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal;
wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is an amplified amount of a jitter value of the clock signal; and
wherein parts of the cycles of the clock signal and the delay signal are removed in response to the operational frequency before generating the first signal and the second signal.

12. A method for measuring jitter, comprising:
receiving a clock signal;
generating a delay signal in response to the clock signal;
generating a first signal and a second signal in response to the clock signal and the delay signal; and
determining a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal;
wherein the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is an amplified amount of a jitter value of the clock signal; and
wherein when the phase difference between the clock signal and the delay signal is greater than a predetermined value, generation of the first signal and the second signal is terminated and the jitter measuring method is switched to a conventional method for measuring jitter, wherein said jitter value is measured from the phase difference between the clock signal and the delay signal.