Fractional-N PLL Synthesizer for linear FMCW Radar Signal Generator

Radar signal generator is a key component in radar system as it determines the best achievable resolution. This paper presents a realization process, of how a programmable Fractional-N PLL Synthesizer was made suitable as a linear FMCW signal generator for X-band marine radar applications. The realization using HMC769LP6CE PLL with integrated VCO controlled by ATMega328 microcontroller and Altera EPM240T100C5 CPLD discussed in detail. The performance of single chip PLL-VCO architecture with reconfigurable bandwidth capability in real time is measured using passband spectrum. The experimental results indicate that the PLL-VCO architecture is a preferred choice for high-resolution FMCW radar application due to their architectural simplicity.