Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers (전자공학회논문지)

The Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers (대한전자공학회)
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Time-to-Digital Converter Implemented in Field-Programmable Gate Array using a Multiphase Clock and Double State Measurements

Field Programmable Gate Array 기반 다중 클럭과 이중 상태 측정을 이용한 시간-디지털 변환기

  • Jung, Hyun-Chul (Department of Radio Science and Engineering, Kwangwoon University) ;
  • Lim, Hansang (Department of Electronics Convergence Engineering, Kwangwoon University)
  • 정현철 (광운대학교 전파공학과) ;
  • 임한상 (광운대학교 전자융합공학과)
  • Received : 2014.02.21
  • Accepted : 2014.08.01
  • Published : 2014.08.25
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Abstract

In a delay line type of a time-to-digital converter implemented in Field Programmable Gate Array, the timing accuracy decreases for a longer carry chain. In this paper, we propose a structure that has a multi-phase clock and a state machine to check metastability; this would reduce the required length of the carry chain with the same time resolution. To reduce the errors caused by the time difference in the four delay lines associated with a four-phase clock, the proposed TDC generates a single input pulse from four phase clocks and uses a single delay line. Moreover, the state machine is designed to find the phase clock that is used to generate the single input pulse and determine the metastable state without a synchronizer. With the measurement range of 1 ms, the measured resolution was 22 ps, and the non-linearity was 25 ps.

Field programmable gate array 기반 시간-디지털 변환기(Time to Digital Converter)로 가장 널리 사용되는 딜레이 라인(tapped delay line) 방식은 딜레이 라인의 길이가 길어지면 정확도가 떨어지는 단점이 있다. 이에 본 논문에서는 동일한 시간 해상도를 가지면서 딜레이 라인의 길이를 줄일 수 있도록 4 위상 클럭을 사용하고 이중 상태 판별 제어부를 가지는 시간-디지털 변환기 구조를 제안한다. 4 위상 클럭 별로 딜레이 라인 구성 시 발생하는 라인 간 딜레이 오차를 줄이기 위해 입력신호와 가장 가까운 클럭과의 시간 차이만 하나의 딜레이 라인으로 측정하고 어떤 위상 클럭이 사용되었는지를 판별하는 구조를 가졌다. 또한 싱크로나이저 대신 이중 상태 측정 state machine을 이용하여 메타스태이블을 판별함으로써, 싱크로나이저로 인한 딜레이 라인의 증가를 억제하였다. 제안한 시간-디지털 변환기(TDC)의 성능 측정 결과 1 ms의 측정 시간 범위에 대해 평균 분해능 22 ps, 최대 표준편차 90 ps을 가지며 비선형성은 25 ps였다.

Keywords

References

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