Patent ID: 8749282

Claim:
A frequency synthesizer circuit incorporating a Broadband Translational Phase lock Loop (BTPLL) capable of operating over multiple octaves of frequency range consisting of a Voltage or Current Controlled Oscillator (VCO), a Directional Coupler or Power Splitter that couples part of the VCO output power for the BTPLL hereinafter called the coupled output, a broadband Harmonic Mixer consisting of a step recovery diode impulse generator followed by a mixer that mixes the coupled output with a known Harmonic of a programmable Direct Digital Synthesizer that drives the impulse generator providing a harmonic mixer output that substantially reflects the VCO Phase Noise, a low pass filter that filters the desired harmonic mixer product to be presented to a phase frequency detector a phase frequency detector that compares the chosen harmonic mixer product with a Reference Oscillator (RO) creating an Error Signal, a Loop Filter circuit which incorporates a Low Pass Filter that filters the Error Signal such that the BTPLL phase noise tracks that of the RO within a desired Loop Bandwidth, wherein the Loop Filtered Error Signal is used to fine tune the frequency of the VCO and reduce its phase noise, thus closing the loop for the BTPLL.