The impact of digital delay lines’ spatial allocation on the DPS synchronization quality

Authors

  • Robert Frankowski Institute of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, ul. Grudziądzka 5, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
  • Maciej Gurski Institute of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, ul. Grudziądzka 5, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
  • Ryszard Szplet Institute of Communication Systems, Faculty of Electronics, Military University of Technology, ul. gen. Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24425/mms.2025.154677

Keywords

programmable logic structures, delay lines, phase synchronizer, time interval measurement

Abstract

The paper concerns the optimization methodology of design of a high-resolution digital phase synchronizer (DPS) module cooperating with a multi-channel coincidence counter. The main function of the DPS module was to ensure high synchronization between the measurement system and trigger pulses (with various repetition rates) from the photo detector. With this approach, it became possible to adapt the measurement system to work with a wide spectrum of excitation sources while maintaining the required metrological parameters. The DPS resolution is determined by the architecture of coding tapped delay lines (TDLs) utilized, whereas the degree of synchronization is determined by the differences in their integral nonlinearity errors (Δ𝑅INL). In traditional DPS designs, the basis for synchronization were single TDLs built on arithmetic carry chain paths, which are usually characterized by high nonlinearity. The approach presented in this paper assumes the use of complex tapped delay lines (CTDLs) and an appropriate selection of spatial TDLs allocations within a programmable logic structure. The proposed solution enables an effective minimization (from 62.6 ps to 26.2 ps) of the synchronization error between the measurement system and the investigated process.

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Published

2025-09-30

How to Cite

Frankowski, Robert, et al. “The Impact of Digital Delay lines’ Spatial Allocation on the DPS Synchronization Quality”. Metrology and Measurement Systems, vol. 32, no. 3, Sept. 2025, pp. art. no. 7, 1-13, doi:10.24425/mms.2025.154677.

Issue

Vol. 32 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Articles