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Holzworth has released a product line of ultra low phase noise, multi-channel CW sources that incorporate up to eight independently tunable channels inside a single 1U high housing. One example is the HS3008A, 3 GHz RF synthesizer, which is capable of tuning frequencies from 8 MHz to 3 GHz in 0.001 Hz steps. Like all Holzworth synthesizers, the HS3008A demonstrates industry leading phase noise with excellent channel-to-channel phase stability. The non-PLL-based synthesis architecture is currently available with bandwidths up to 6 GHz while enabling tight stability, phase coherency and extremely fast tuning speeds. Holzworth’s versatile multi-channel synthesizer products can be controlled directly by the proprietary application software, a shared library file (Linix™) or any standard control program/language capable of communicating with a DLL file. These USB instruments also offer an optional SPI interface.

Design

Holzworth RF synthesizers are stand alone units with an integrated precision 100 MHz OCXO. An external 10 or 100 MHz precision reference may also be used with the standard auto-detection reference input/output ports. Holzworth synthesizers are unique in that they do not utilize a PLL-based architecture to achieve broadband, low phase noise frequency generation. The proprietary design approach enables industry leading phase noise, spectral purity and ultra fast switching speeds inside highly compact form factors. Multi-channel synthesizers benefit greatly from the elimination of phase-locked loops because the phase response is continuous and therefore the relationship between every reference locked channel is precisely coherent by design. In the multi-channel models, each synthesized channel operates independently, yet on the exact same reference clock cycle (instead of locking to a free running oscillator), thereby improving channel-to-channel phase stability. Up to 64 channels can be reference linked within a system to maintain a fully phase coherent relationship across all independently tunable channels. The non-PLL designs also offer valuable channel-to-channel phase drift performance, being less than 0.5 degrees between any two channels.