Phase-locked loops with limiter phase detectors in the presence of noise

A nonlinear mathematical model of phase-locked loops with limiter phase detectors in the presence of noise is presented. The model, which is an extension of the well-known baseband model of loops with sinusoidal phase detectors without limiters, incorporates a modified nonlinear phase detector characteristic, the form of which is changed if the input carrier-to-noise ratio alters, as well as a modified phase noise as an input to the model. Both the modified phase detector characteristic and the spectral density of the modified noise term are calculated specifically for sinusoidal, triangular, and sawtooth types of limiter phase detectors, allowing the application of various methods to determine the loop noise performance. As an example, the phase error variance of a first-order phase-locked loop is calculated, thereby showing a strong dependence on the specific phase detector realization.