Customer Reviews

Phase-Locked Loops Engineering Handbook for Integrated Circuits

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This is the best book for integrated circuit designers who have to design high performance PLLs in their jobs. Not only does it review the fundamental theories of different PLL architectures but also discusses the subtleties of each design. This is by far the best book for real world PLL designs. It should be in every integrated circuit designer's library. I am amazed how many inside tricks and subtleties this book explains. You get up to date on important circuits for high perfomance PLL design that yield in the real world.

This is one of the best books for high performance PLLs IC designers. The book guides us through design, simulation, and troubleshooting, turn to this collection of practical solutions, SPICE listings, simulation techniques, and testing set-ups. It contains an amazing amount of information on PLLs of various kinds and on their applications in systems. The challenges to integrate more and more functions onto a single chip are well explained by the author with apparent ease and rigor. This is an excellent book for an IC designer who wants to be excellent.

This book fills a much needed gap in the texts on the market on PLL design. As a student and then a practising engineer who has designed several PLLs for commercially successful ICs, I find that this book serves as a good college text as well as a handy reference to industrial designers who have to make critical design trade-offs.

If someone were to ask the question - "why should I buy this book versus the rest?" here is what sets this book a class apart.

1. It deals with theory, circuit simulation and testing of PLLs.
2. For those who like math - it has rigorous equations to go with the intuitive analysis. The math is reinforced with examples and SPICE simulations and waveforms. For example section 3.2 - phase noise, 3.5 - acquisition of lock are difficult topics that are presented in a clear manner.
3. For students the extensive references at the back of each chapter will prove very handy. The subjective questions and numerical problems will serve to reinforce understanding of the material. Although the solutions/answers are not shown in the text, this should not discourage anyone from trying the problems out.
4. One of my favorite sections is the chapter 7 on test and measurements.
PLL measurements are to be done with care and the author covers all critical measurements such as jitter and even provides suggestions for instruments to be used and how to set them up. For a test engineer, this is quite obviously a superior method as opposed to learning by trial and error. Sections 7.6 and 7.9 are especially worth reading.
5. My other favorite chapter 8 is on simulation. I have not seen a more concise yet wide coverage of simulation methodology for PLLs in a text yet. The author shows options for transistor level and behavioral modelling, uses simulators such as SPICE and POWERMILL to highlight how different parameters can be tested effectively and indicates how one can visualize non-ideal behaviors.

This is an essential book for PLL designers. It covers all the practical aspects. First two chapters explain the system-level basics, where it can be found in any PLL book. However, the remaining chapters make this book unique. Third chapter explains phase noise, jitter, and spurious signals. Especially, the phase noise theory and connection between phase noise and jitter is very useful to see the big picture. Chapter 4 and 5 explain individual loop components. Detailed explanations of lock detection and acquisition techniques are very helpful. The testing and simulation of PLLs are explained with all practical aspects. In summary, this book is highly recommended to everyone who is interested in PLLs.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book to the experienced PLL designer, the practicing engineer who is starting to design PLLs, system designers who need an understanding of the care-abouts of PLLs and system level effects, as well as students who need some understanding on all levels. This is the best book to date that I have seen discussing the topic.

Although some background is assumed, it is on a level that 3rd year undergraduate students should be able to comprehend. The book starts off with an overview of PLL and its applications in Ch.1. Then it looks at PLLs from a system view in Ch.2. and Ch.3. with Ch.3 concentrating on key design issues such as jitter, locking, and spurs. Ch.4 and Ch.5 concentrate upon the building blocks of the PLL (dividers, oscillators, detectors, and the loop filter). Ch.6 concentrates upon stability. The last three chapters, 7, 8, and 9 concentrate upon real life design of PLLs. Ch.7 discusses the testing of PLLs; Ch.8, with the simulations of PLLs; and Ch.9 with the a discussion of the tradeoffs in the design and big picture effect of PLLs upon the complete system.

This book is not only ideal for a student but also a practicing engineer who may have a rudimentary understanding of PLLs and wishes to learn from the experience of an expert in the field. Unlike other books that deal solely with theory, this book spends a fair amount of time discussing the practical aspects of the design. It actually has SPICE netlists which you can implement to learn about the building blocks or PLL system. But it is thorough as well. Those wishing to delve into the rigorous mathematics will not be disappointed while those who are at a stage where they need a general understanding can gloss over the theory and not lose insight into the operating principles. To cater to both audiences is not an easy thing to accomplish and Mr. Goldman is able to do so because of his expertise in the field and having first-hand design experience in numerous applications.

CD-ROM Included! Contains example SPICE transistor-level netlists of dividers, VCOs, phase detectors, PLL, frequency synthesizer, and clock recovery circuit. These examples will accelerate the learning process for the readers, and allow them to immediately solve practical problems. Matlab files are also included to help analyze the fundamental equations.

Sincerely,
Stan Goldman RF IC Engineer