High-performance clock buffers are sensitive to noise on the power supply, which can dramatically increase the additive jitter of the buffer. Thus, reducing noise from the system power supply is essential, especially when the jitter and phase noise is critical to applications.

Filter capacitors are used to eliminate the low-frequency noise from the power supply, where the bypass capacitors provide the very low impedance path for high-frequency noise and guards the power-supply system against induced fluctuations. These bypass capacitors also provide instantaneous current surges as required by the device and must have low equivalent series resistance (ESR). To properly use the bypass capacitors, place the capacitors very close to the power-supply terminals and lay out with short loops to minimize inductance. TI recommends to insert a ferrite bead between the board power supply and the chip power supply that isolates the high-frequency switching noises generated by the clock buffer. These beads prevent the switching noise from leaking into the board supply. Selecting an appropriate ferrite bead with very low DC resistance is imperative for providing adequate isolation between the board supply and the chip supply, as well as to maintain a voltage at the supply terminals that is greater than the minimum voltage required for proper operation.

Figure 9-4 shows the recommended power supply filtering and decoupling method.

Figure 9-4 Power Supply Decoupling