An 8.3-GHz dual-modulus divide-by-31/32 prescaler using enhanced phase switching

A differential 8.3-GHz dual-modulus divide-by-31/32 prescaler is presented in this paper. Compared to the conventional prescaler using a serial of synchronous and asynchronous counters, the phase-switching technique enable only the first divide-by-two stage working at the full speed, maximizing operating frequency and reducing the overall power consumption. Enhanced 8-to-1 phase-switching technique and current-mode logic (CML) are utilized to achieve high operating speed at a comparatively low level of power consumption. The proposed prescaler will be fabricated in HEJIAN 0.18-mum mixed-mode and RFCMOS 1.8 V/3.3 V 1P6M process. It operates over a wide range from 200 MHz to 10 GHz, in which it typically draws a 7.3 mA current at 8.3 GHz from 1.8 V supply.