Subharmonic Oscillations Induced by Continuous Wave Electromagnetic Interference on a Microwave Phase-Locked Loop

This paper presents measurements, simulations, and a theoretical basis to support the observation of spurious peaks on the output spectrum of a microwave phase-locked loop (PLL) exposed to a continuous wave electromagnetic interference (EMI). It is shown that high-power EMI combined to nonlinear characteristics of the PLL may induce subharmonic oscillation phenomena, which provoke the appearance of spurious peaks on the output spectrum. Measurements show that in addition to their dependence on the EMI power and frequency, these spurious peaks depend also on the natural frequency of the PLL and on its stability. Transient circuit simulations of the PLL allowing the prediction of these spurious peaks are presented. Finally, a theoretical explanation based on an analysis of a second-order PLL is given.