Patent · US Active

Built-in self test method for a digitally controlled crystal oscillator

US7411462B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
0References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 19, 2006
Grant dateAug 12, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 17, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03J2200/10
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A novel testing mechanism operative to test large capacitor arrays such as those used in a digitally controlled crystal oscillator (DCXO). The invention is adapted for use in DCXO circuits that employ dynamic element matching in their array decoding circuits. The invention combines the use of DEM during regular operation of the DCXO with a testing technique that greatly reduces the number of tests required. The invention tests the capacitors in the array on a row by row, wherein all the capacitors in a row are tested lumped together and treated as a single entity, which results in significantly reduced testing time. This permits the measurement of significantly higher frequency deviations due to the larger capacitances associated with an entire row of capacitors being tested.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.