Clock Generation Module (CGM)
Acquisition/Lock Time Specifications
MC68HC08AZ60 — Rev 1.1
Technical Data
Freescale Semiconductor
Clock Generation Module (CGM)
145
expires when the LOCK bit becomes set in the PLL bandwidth
Obviously, the acquisition and lock times can vary according to how
large the frequency error is and may be shorter or longer in many cases.
10.10.2 Parametric Influences on Reaction Time
Acquisition and lock times are designed to be as short as possible while
still providing the highest possible stability. These reaction times are not
constant, however. Many factors directly and indirectly affect the
acquisition time.
The most critical parameter which affects the reaction times of the PLL
is the reference frequency, fRDV. This frequency is the input to the phase
detector and controls how often the PLL makes corrections. For stability,
the corrections must be small compared to the desired frequency, so
several corrections are required to reduce the frequency error.
Therefore, the slower the reference the longer it takes to make these
corrections. This parameter is also under user control via the choice of
crystal frequency fXCLK.
Another critical parameter is the external filter capacitor. The PLL
modifies the voltage on the VCO by adding or subtracting charge from
this capacitor. Therefore, the rate at which the voltage changes for a
given frequency error (thus a change in charge) is proportional to the
capacitor size. The size of the capacitor also is related to the stability of
the PLL. If the capacitor is too small, the PLL cannot make small enough
adjustments to the voltage and the system cannot lock. If the capacitor
is too large, the PLL may not be able to adjust the voltage in a
Also important is the operating voltage potential applied to VDDA. The
power supply potential alters the characteristics of the PLL. A fixed value
is best. Variable supplies, such as batteries, are acceptable if they vary
within a known range at very slow speeds. Noise on the power supply is
not acceptable, because it causes small frequency errors which
continually change the acquisition time of the PLL.