A new DLL-based approach for all-digital multiphase clock generation

A new DLL-based approach for all-digital multiphase clock generation is presented. By using the time-to-digital converter (TDC) with fixed-step search scheme, the proposed all-digital and cell-based solution can overcome the false-lock problem in conventional designs. Furthermore, the proposed all-digital multiphase clock generator (ADMCG) can easily be ported to different processes in a short time. Thus, it can reduce the design time and design complexity in many different applications. The test chip shows that our proposal demonstrates a wide frequency range to meet the needs of many digital communication applications.