
1. Phase Noise References (XTALs, XOs, VCXOs)
Si55xx/Si540x/Si536x devices use an external quartz-based oscillator in conjunction with a high performance on-chip voltage controlled
oscillator (VCO) to generate ultra-low jitter and phase noise output clocks. This oscillator is referred to as the phase noise
reference and is required for all applications using the Si55xx/Si540x/Si536x devices. It is critical to select the proper phase noise
reference for the given device and application to optimize board design for both performance and cost. It is highly recommended to
use one of the qualified phase noise references from this document as they will result in phase noise performance in line with the data
sheet.
The Si540x wireline network synchronizers and the Si536x jitter attenuators/clock generators support either an XO or a XTAL
as the phase noise reference. The output clock jitter will be roughly equivalent between any device from the recommended list of XOs
or XTALs.
The Si55xx wireless jitter attenuators/network synchronizers support a crystal oscillator (XO), crystal (XTAL), or voltage-controlled
crystal oscillator (VCXO) as the phase noise reference. An XO is recommended for most Si55xx wireless applications. This is due
to the fact that an XO will provide the lowest close-in phase noise (10 Hz – 1 kHz). For wireless applications that are not as sensitive
to close-in phase noise either an XO or a XTAL can be used as the phase noise reference. The phase noise above a few kHz and
integrated 12 kHz-20 MHz jitter will be roughly equivalent when using any of the approved XOs/XTALs.
The Si55xx products are the only devices that support a VCXO phase noise reference. The VCXO phase noise reference is
recommended for the Si55xx devices when used in the highest performance 5G wireless applications such as mmWave
and massive MIMO. It is extremely important to select an ultra-low phase noise VCXO with a low tuning gain (Kv) like the ones
recommended in this document. A mid-tier VCXO will likely result in higher phase noise outputs clocks and a more expensive BOM cost
than using one of the recommended XOs. See the data sheet for phase noise comparisons between XO and VCXO modes.
The table below provides a summary of the supported phase noise references for each product family.
Table 1.1. Recommended Phase Noise References
Si5xxx Device Supported PN References Applications
Si5508/10/18 XO, XTAL, VCXO Wireless RU, Small Cell, Integrated Small Cell, DAS
Si5512 XO, XTAL Wireless RU, Small Cell, Integrated Small Cell, DAS, designs that
split digital and RF functions on separate board
Si5401/02/03 XO, XTAL Core/metro/access switch and routers, Wireless CU, DU and fron-
thaul switch, smart NIC
Si5361/62/63 XO, XTAL 56G/112G SerDes clocking, OTN muxponders/transponders,
switches and routers, medical imaging, test and measurement
Si5360 XO, XTAL FPGAs/processors/memory, switches and routers, OTN fram-
ers/mappers/processors, test equipment and instrumentation, broad-
cast video
Si55xx, Si540x, and Si536x Recommended XTAL, XO, VCXO, TCXO, and OCXO Reference Manual • Phase Noise References (XTALs, XOs, VCXOs)
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