The phase noise to jitter conversion calculator allows you to transform the integrated phase noise of an oscillator into RMS jitter, expressed in radians and microseconds. This tool is essential for evaluating the temporal stability of high frequency signals in RF and digital systems.
Formula used
J rms = √(2 × 10 (A/10) )
J µs = J rms / (2π × f o ) × 10⁶
Or :
A = integrated phase noise (dBc)
f o = oscillator frequency (Hz, kHz, MHz, GHz)
J rms = RMS jitter in radians
J µs = RMS jitter in microseconds
Explanation
Phase noise corresponds to the phase fluctuation of a sinusoidal signal around its center frequency. These variations are reflected in the time domain by a jitter , that is to say an instability of the period of the signal.
This conversion allows us to understand how phase noise measured in dBc influences the temporal precision of the signal. A lower phase noise value results in lower jitter, which improves overall system performance.
Calculation example
For a 100 MHz frequency oscillator with an integrated phase noise of -80 dBc :
J rms = √(2 × 10 (-80/10) ) = √(2 × 10 -8 ) ≈ 0.000141 rad
J µs = 0.000141 / (2π × 100 × 10⁶) × 10⁶ ≈ 0.000000225 µs
The result shows extremely low jitter, indicating a very stable and accurate signal.
Benefits and Use
- Allows the measured phase noise to be directly linked to the temporal jitter.
- Useful for designing and evaluating RF oscillators, synthesizers and clocks.
- Helps compare the timing performance of different devices.
- Facilitates the optimization of communications, radar and high-precision clock systems.