Investigating the impact of supply voltage fluctuations on phase noise in quartz crystal oscillators

Abstract

The impact of power supply voltage fluctuations on the phase noise of quartz crystal oscillators (XOs) remains an open issue. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis on this matter. This work presents a novel phase-noise drive sensitivity (PNDS) model for the XO to reveal its mechanism. This model based on five noise modulation processes demonstrates the distribution of the PNDS in the frequency domain clearly, and there exists a PNDS bandwidth fS that limits the supply voltage fluctuation, which is similar to the effect of the noise bandwidth of the classical Leeson model. Using the PNDS, we successfully predict the phase noise of a 10 MHz oscillator under different supply voltage noises. In addition, experimental results show that the PNDS floor is determined by the phase modulation of the sustaining amplifier, while the amplitude-frequency effect of the resonator and the tuning of the diode often play crucial roles in the near-carrier PNDS.