Programmable Crystal Oscillator

• US 20090224843A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Catalyst Semiconductor Inc (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iacob, Radu H., Radoias, Liviu-Mihai, Dumitru, Iulian
• Application Number:
  US12/045,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20090224843A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 331/158
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2201/025 the means being an electronic switch for switching in or out oscillator elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/32 being a piezoelectric resonator selection of piezoelectric material H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/10 Tuning of a resonator by means of digitally controlled capacitor bank

Abstract

A crystal oscillator circuit having a parallel resonant frequency that is adjustable by switching trim capacitors in parallel with a crystal.

Claims

1. An oscillator circuit comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal

an inverter, a resistor and a crystal coupled in parallel between the first and second terminals;

a first load capacitor coupled between the first terminal and a first voltage supply terminal;

a second load capacitor coupled between the second terminal and the first voltage supply terminal;

a trim circuit that includes a first switch coupled to the first terminal, a second switch coupled to the second terminal, and a first trim capacitor coupled between the first and second switches.

2. The oscillator circuit of claim 1, further comprising a first control line configured to transmit a first switch control signal to the first and second switches.

3. The oscillator circuit of claim 1, wherein the trim circuit further includes a third switch coupled to the first terminal, a fourth switch coupled to the second terminal, and a second trim capacitor coupled between the third and fourth switches.

4. The oscillator circuit of claim 3, further comprising:

a first control line configured to transmit a first switch control signal to the first and second switches; and

a second control line configured to transmit a second switch control signal to the third and fourth switches.

5. The oscillator circuit of claim 3, wherein the first trim capacitor has a different capacitance than the second trim capacitor.

6. The oscillator circuit of claim 1, further comprising a pulling capacitor connected in series with the crystal.

11. The oscillator circuit of claim 4, further comprising a pulling capacitor connected in series with the crystal.

7. An oscillator circuit comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal

an inverter, a resistor and a crystal coupled in parallel between the first and second terminals;

a first load capacitor coupled between the first terminal and a first voltage supply terminal;

a second load capacitor coupled between the second terminal and the first voltage supply terminal; and

a trim circuit comprising a plurality of trim capacitors and means for selectively coupling the trim capacitors between the first terminal and the second terminal.

8. The oscillator circuit of claim 7, wherein the means for selectively coupling the trim capacitors between the first terminal and the second terminal comprise a first plurality of switches coupling the trim capacitors to the first terminal and a second plurality of switches coupling the trim capacitors to the second terminal.

9. The oscillator circuit of claim 7, wherein the trim capacitors have capacitances that are binary weighted.

10. The oscillator circuit of claim 7, wherein the trim capacitors have capacitances that are smaller/larger than capacitances of the first and second load capacitors.

12. A method of adjusting the parallel resonant frequency of an oscillator circuit having a crystal, the method comprising:

closing a first switch to couple a first terminal of a first trim capacitor to a first terminal of the crystal; and

closing a second switch to couple a second terminal of the first trim capacitor to a second terminal of the crystal, whereby closing the first and second switches couples the first trim capacitor in parallel with the crystal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating a first control signal, wherein the first and second switches are closed in response to the first control signal.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising

closing a third switch to couple a first terminal of a second trim capacitor to the first terminal of the crystal;

and

closing a fourth switch to couple a second terminal of the second trim capacitor to the second terminal of the crystal, whereby closing the third and fourth switches couples the second trim capacitor in parallel with the crystal.