A Multiphase-Output Delay-Locked Loop With a Novel Start-Controlled Phase/Frequency Detector

This paper presents a multiphase-output delay-locked loop (MODLL). The proposed phase/frequency detector (PFD) utilizes a new NAND-resettable dynamic D-flip-flop (DFF) circuit to achieve a shorter reset path. Thus, lower power consumption and higher speed can be obtained. The proposed voltage-controlled delay element used in this design can operate at a lower supply voltage and overcome the dead-band issue of the voltage-controlled delay line. An experimental multiphase-output DLL was designed and fabricated using a TSMC 0.35-mum 2P4M CMOS process. The delay-locked loop (DLL) power consumption is 3.4 mW with a 2 V supply and a 100 MHz input. The measured rms and peak-to-peak jitters are 17.575 ps and 145 ps, respectively. In addition, the supply voltage of the experimental multiphase-output DLL can vary from 1.5 V to 2.5 V without causing malfunctions. The active area is 426 mum x 381 mum.