ISI pattern-weighted early-late phase detector with jitter correction

1. A method for tracking jitter in a recovered clock signal using an inter-symbol interference (ISI) pattern-weighted early-late phase detector, the method comprising:

receiving an electromagnetic waveform representing an analog serial data stream;

generating an I clock and Q clock having a fixed phase delay with respect to the I clock;

dividing the I clock frequency by n, creating a reference clock;

sequentially sampling the serial data stream with the I clock, creating digital I-bit values;

sequentially sampling the serial data stream with the fixed phase delay Q clock and a varied phase delay Q clock having a varying phase delay with respect to the I clock, creating digital Q-bit values;

segmenting the I-bit values into n-bit digital words;

segmenting the Q-bit values into n-bit digital words;

in response to analyzing the I-bit, and Q-bit values associated with the fixed phase delay Q clock, identifying an I clock phase correction;

in response to comparing Q-bit values sampled by the varied delay Q clock, determining a modulation factor;

identifying bit sequence patterns associated with each I-bit value;

weighting each I-bit value in response to the identified bit sequence pattern and the identified I clock phase correction;

averaging the weighted I-bit values for each n-bit digital word;

applying the modulation factor to the weighted I-bit value averages, generating digital I and Q phase error signals; and,

in response to the I and Q phase error signals, creating electromagnetic signals representing the I and Q clocks, modified in phase.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the I and Q clocks includes generating a Q clock that has a fixed phase delay of about 90 degrees with respect to the I clock phase.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the I clock phase correction includes:

identifying a primary phase correction type selected from a group consisting of an early phase, late phase, and ambiguous phase;

assigning a multiplication factor to each primary phase correction type, where the ambiguous phase has a multiplication factor of 0, the early phase has a first number multiplication factor with a first sign polarity, and the late phase has the first number multiplication factor with a second sign polarity, opposite to the first sign polarity;

wherein determining the modulation factor in response to comparing Q-bit values sampled by the varied phase delay Q clock includes:

identifying a secondary phase correction type selected from the group consisting of an early phase, late phase, and ambiguous phase;

cross-referencing the secondary phase correction type to a Q clock phase delay selected from a group consisting of the fixed phase delay, a less than fixed phase delay, and a greater than fixed phase delay; and,

assigning a multiplication factor to each cross-referenced secondary phase correction type.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein assigning the multiplication factor to each cross-referenced secondary phase correction type includes:

assigning a multiplication factor of 0 to an ambiguous secondary phase correction type;

assigning a multiplication factor with the first sign polarity to an early secondary phase correction type; and,

assigning a multiplication factor with the second sign polarity to a late secondary phase correction type.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein assigning the multiplication factor to each cross-referenced secondary phase correction type includes assigning a multiplication factor responsive to the absolute value of the difference between the fixed phase delay Q clock and the varied phase delay Q clock.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein assigning the multiplication factor to each cross-referenced secondary phase correction type includes:

assigning a multiplication factor of 1/f(j) to a early secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a less than fixed phase delay Q clock, where j is an index of the function f(j), and where the values of j and f(j) both increase as the absolute value of the difference between the fixed phase delay Q clock and the varied phase delay Q clock increases;

assigning a multiplication factor of −(1/f(j)) to a late secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a greater than fixed phase delay Q clock;

assigning a multiplication factor of −(f(j) to a late secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a less than fixed phase delay Q clock; and,

assigning a multiplication factor of (f(j)) to an early secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a greater than fixed phase delay Q clock.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying the secondary phase correction type includes identifying an early phase correction if:

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals a current Q-bit value (DQ(k)); and,

the current Q-bit value (DQ(k)) does not equal a subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)).

8. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying the secondary phase correction type includes identifying an ambiguous phase correction if:

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals a current Q-bit value (DQ(k));

the current Q-bit value (DQ(k)) equals a subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)); and alternately if

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) does not equal a current Q-bit value (DQ(k)); and,

the current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals the subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)).

9. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying the secondary phase correction type includes identifying a late phase correction if:

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals a current Q-bit value (DQ(k)); and,

the current Q-bit value (DQ(k)) equals a subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)).

10. The method of claim 3 wherein determining the modulation factor includes determining a modulation factor with a phase difference index and a multiplication factor average; and,

wherein applying the modulation factor to the weighted I-bit value averages includes multiplying the weighted I-bit value by the multiplication factor average.

11. A system for tracking jitter in a recovered clock signal using an inter-symbol interference (ISI) pattern-weighted early-late phase detector, the system comprising:

a phase interpolator having an output to supply an I clock signal, an output to supply a Q clock signal having a fixed phase delay with respect to the I clock signal, and an input to accept digital I and Q phase error signals;

a deserializer having inputs to accept an analog serial data stream, the I clock, and the Q clock, and having outputs to supply n-bit digital words of I-bit values generated by sampling the serial data stream with the I clock, n-bit words of Q-bit values generated by sampling the serial data stream with the fixed phase delay Q clock and with a varied phase delay Q clock having a varying phase delay with respect to the I clock, and a reference clock signal equal to the I clock frequency divided by n;

an early-late phase detector having an input to accept the I-bit values, Q-bit values associated with the fixed phase delay Q clock, and the reference clock, and in response to analyzing the I-bit and Q-bit values, identifying an I clock phase correction, the detector also identifying bit sequence patterns associated with each I-bit value, weighting each I-bit value in response to the identified bit sequence pattern and the identified I clock phase correction, and having an output to supply a digital average of the weighted I-bit values for each n-bit digital word;

a jitter tracking module having inputs to accept the I-bit and Q-bit values, and in response to comparing Q-bit values sampled by the varied phase delay Q clock, supplying a modulation factor;

a feedback circuit having inputs to accept the average of the weighted I-bit values for each n-bit digital word and the modulation factor, the feedback circuit applying the modulation factor to the weighted I-bit value averages, and having an output to supply the I and Q phase error signals; and,

wherein the phase interpolator accepts the I and Q phase error signals and respectively modifies the phases of the I and Q clocks.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the phase interpolator supplies a Q clock signal with a fixed phase delay of about 90 degrees with respect to the I clock signal phase.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the phase detector identifies a primary phase correction type selected from a group consisting of an early phase, late phase, and ambiguous phase, and assigns a multiplication factor to each primary phase correction type, where the ambiguous phase has a multiplication factor of 0, the early phase has a first number multiplication factor with a first sign polarity, and the late phase has the first number multiplication factor with a second sign polarity, opposite to the first sign polarity;

wherein the jitter tracking module identifies a secondary phase correction type selected from the group consisting of an early phase, late phase, and ambiguous phase, cross-references the secondary phase correction type to a Q clock selected from a group consisting of the fixed phase delay, a less than fixed phase delay, and a greater than fixed phase delay, and assigns a multiplication factor to each cross-referenced secondary phase correction type.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the jitter tracking module assigns:

a multiplication factor of 0 to an ambiguous secondary phase correction type;

a multiplication factor with the first sign polarity to an early secondary phase correction type; and,

a multiplication factor with the second sign polarity to a late secondary phase correction type.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the jitter tracking module assigns a multiplication factor responsive to the absolute value of the difference between the fixed phase delay Q clock and the varied phase delay Q clock.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the jitter tracking module assigns:

a multiplication factor of 1/f(j) to a early secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a less than fixed phase delay Q clock, where j is an index of the function f(j), and where the values of j and f(j) both increase as the absolute value of the difference between the fixed delay Q clock and the varied phase delay Q clock increases;

a multiplication factor of −(1/f(j)) to a late secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a greater than fixed phase delay Q clock;

a multiplication factor of −f(j) to a late secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a less than fixed delay Q clock; and,

a multiplication factor of (f(j)) to an early secondary phase correction type cross-referenced to a greater than fixed phase delay Q clock.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the jitter tracking module identifies an early phase correction if:

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals a current Q-bit value (DQ(k)); and,

the current Q-bit value (DQ(k)) does not equal a subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)).

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the jitter tracking module identifies an ambiguous phase correction if:

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals a current Q-bit value (DQ(k));

the current Q-bit value (DQ(k)) equals a subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)); and alternately if

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) does not equal a current Q-bit value (DQ(k)); and,

the current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals the subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)).

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the jitter tracking module identifies a late phase correction if:

a current I-bit value (DI(k)) equals a current Q-bit value (DQ(k)); and,

the current Q-bit value (DQ(k)) equals a subsequent I-bit value (DI(k+1)).

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the jitter tracking module determines a modulation factor including the components of a phase difference index and a multiplication factor average; and,

wherein the feedback circuit multiplies the weighted I-bit value by the multiplication factor average.