Offset Signal Phasing for a Multiple Frequency Source System

A tunable system configured to employ multiple, concurrently-operable frequency sources in which an input signal supplied to one or more of the multiple frequency sources is phase offset relative to an input signal supplied to one or more of the other frequency sources, the system comprising:

• a first frequency source having an input coupled to receive a reference input signal and an output for providing a first frequency source signal;
• a first phase delay element having an input coupled to receive the input reference signal and an output, the phase delay element operable to apply a first predefined phase delay to the input reference signal to produce a phase-delayed input signal;
• a second frequency source configured to be concurrently operable with the first frequency source, the second frequency source having an input coupled to receive the first phase-delayed input signal and an output for providing a second frequency source signal;
• a second phase delay element having an input coupled to receive the reference input signal, and an output, the second phase delay element operable to apply a second predefined phase delay to the input reference signal to produce a second phase-delayed input signal;
• and
• a third frequency source configured to be concurrently operable with the first and second frequency sources, the third frequency source having an input coupled to receive the second phase-delayed input signal and an output for providing a third frequency source signal.

In a tunable system configured to employ a plurality of n concurrently-operable frequency sources, each of the frequency sources receiving an input signal for controlling the frequency source to operate in a high current mode, a method for operating said system using offset signal phasing, comprising:

• identifying a reference frequency source from among the plurality of frequency sources, the identified reference frequency source receiving a reference input signal;
• computing phase offsets for each of the remaining input signals supplied to each of the remaining frequency sources;
• and
• applying the computed phase offsets to the respective n−1 remaining input signals to delay the application of said remaining input signals to the respective frequency sources.

A computer program product, resident on a computer readable medium, for operation with a tunable system configured to employ a plurality of n concurrently-operable frequency sources, each of the frequency sources receiving an input signal for controlling the frequency source to operate in a high current mode, the computer program product comprising:

• instruction code to identify a reference frequency source from among the plurality of frequency sources, the identified reference frequency source receiving a reference input signal;
• instruction code to compute phase offsets for each of the remaining input signals supplied to each of the remaining frequency sources;
• and
• instruction code to apply the computed phase offsets to the respective n−1 remaining input signals to delay the application of said remaining input signals to the respective frequency sources.