Use A SAW To Make A Synthesizer?

March 16, 2011
In this case, the SAW is a voltage-controlled surface-acoustic-wave oscillator (VCSO) developed by Synergy Microwave Corp., and it can contribute to impressive phase-noise performance in synthesized sources through microwave frequencies. The tale is told ...

In this case, the SAW is a voltage-controlled surface-acoustic-wave oscillator (VCSO) developed by Synergy Microwave Corp., and it can contribute to impressive phase-noise performance in synthesized sources through microwave frequencies. The tale is told in the article "VCSO Technology Silences Synthesizers" in the February issue of Microwaves & RF.

In high-frequency synthesizer lore, many different frequency sources have been used as the primary oscillator, including voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG), and SAW oscillators, with each offering different characteristics in terms of tuning range, switching speed, and noise. The VCSO-based synthesizer in the aforementioned article tunes from 5000 to 5300 MHz with phase noise specified at -120 dBc/Hz offset 100 kHz from the carrier.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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