Advanced SAW-LSI frequency synthesizer

Fast-hopping frequency synthesizers are a key component of frequency-hopped, spread-spectrum systems. The development of a prototype, direct mix-and-divide frequency synthesizer which is ideally suited for such applications has recently been completed. The synthesizer generates frequencies from 1296 to 1536 MHz in 3-MHz steps, and is capable of switching between frequencies in less than 50 nanosecs. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) and RF-LSI devices are used extensively throughout the design to produce an extremely fast, small synthesizer.