Analog front end for DTV, DTV system having the same, and operation methods thereof

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) from Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2011-0037515, filed on Apr. 21, 2011 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and 10-2011-0037516, filed on Apr. 21, 2011 in the Korean Intellectual Property office, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to an analog front end (AFE), and more particularly, to an analog front end (AFE) of a digital television (DTV) that may selectively process a sound intermediate frequency signal, differential DTV broadcast signals, and differential analog TV broadcast signals, a DTV system having the AFE, and operation methods thereof.

Digital televisions (DTVs) refer to a broadcasting system for broadcasting and receiving video and audio by digital signals, in contrast to televisions using analog signals. The DTV uses data that is compressed and modulated in a digital method so that the data may be watched through television sets or set-top boxes designed for DTV.

The DTV has some merits over the analog televisions, including that a bandwidth used by a channel may be reduced. Also, multicasting, that is, a function to broadcast various programs on a single channel at the same time, and an electric program guide (EPG) are available in the DTV.

Aspects of one or more exemplary embodiments provide an analog front end of a digital television (DTV) that may selectively process a sound intermediate frequency signal, differential DTV broadcast signals, and differential analog TV broadcast signals, according to an operation mode, a DTV system having the analog front end, and operation methods thereof.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an analog front end (AFE) of a digital TV processing system, the AFE including: a first selection circuit which outputs differential sound intermediate frequency signals or differential TV broadcast signals in response to a first selection signal; a second selection circuit which outputs a clock signal among a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies, in response to a second selection signal; and an analog-to-digital converter which converts the output signals output from the first selection circuit to a digital code, according to a sampling frequency of the output clock signal output from the second selection circuit.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a digital TV processing system including: a tuner which generates at least one of a single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal and differential TV broadcast signals from radio frequency signals; an analog front end (AFE) which selectively processes the generated single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal and the generated differential TV broadcast signals; and a demodulator which demodulates a digital code output from the AFE, wherein the AFE includes: a first selection circuit which outputs differential sound intermediate frequency signals generated based on the generated single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal or the generated differential TV broadcast signals, in response to a first selection signal; a second selection circuit which outputs a clock signal among a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies, in response to a second selection signal; and an analog-to-digital converter which converts the output signals output from the first selection circuit to the digital code, according to a sampling frequency of the output clock signal output from the second selection circuit.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a signal processing circuit including: an analog-to-digital converter which converts differential analog signals to a digital code, in response to a sampling clock signal; a fractional-N phase locked loop (PLL) which receives a clock signal as an input clock signal; and a first selector which selectively outputs one of the clock signal and an output clock signal output from the fractional-N PLL as the sampling clock signal, in response to a first selection signal.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a digital TV processing system including: an analog front end (AFE) which converts differential TV broadcast signals to a digital code according to a sampling clock signal; and a demodulator which demodulates the digital code, wherein the AFE includes: an analog-to-digital converter which converts differential analog signals to the digital code, in response to the sampling clock signal; a fractional-N phase locked loop which receives a clock signal as an input clock signal; and a first selector which selectively outputs one of the clock signal and an output clock signal output from the fractional-N phase locked loop as the sampling clock signal, in response to a first selection signal.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a signal processing method of a digital TV processing system, the signal processing method including: selectively outputting differential sound intermediate frequency signals or differential TV broadcast signals in response to a first selection signal; outputting a clock signal among a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies, in response to a second selection signal; and converting the output signals output from the selectively outputting to a digital code, according to a sampling frequency of the output clock signal.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a signal processing method including: converting differential analog signals to a digital code, in response to a sampling clock signal; receiving, by a fractional-N phase locked loop (PLL), a clock signal as an input clock signal; and selectively outputting, by a first selector, one of the clock signal and an output clock signal output from the fractional-N PLL as the sampling clock signal, in response to a first selection signal.

According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method of manufacturing an analog front end (AFE) of a digital TV processing system, the method including: providing, in a first region of a semiconductor substrate, a first selection circuit for outputting differential sound intermediate frequency signals or differential TV broadcast signals in response to a first selection signal; providing, in a second region of the semiconductor substrate, a second selection circuit for outputting a clock signal among a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies, in response to a second selection signal; and providing, in a third region of the semiconductor substrate, an analog-to-digital converter for converting the output signals output from the first selection circuit to a digital code, according to a sampling frequency of the output clock signal output from the second selection circuit.

Exemplary embodiments will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a digital television (DTV) system according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an analog front end of FIG. 1 , according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an analog front end of FIG. 1 , according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a DTV system according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an analog front end of FIG. 4 , according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram of a plurality of system clock signals of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a method of operating the analog front end of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a method of operating the DTV system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a method of manufacturing the analog front end of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the DTV system of FIG. 4 .

The attached drawings for illustrating exemplary embodiments are referred to in order to gain a sufficient understanding of exemplary embodiments and the merits thereof. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a digital television (DTV) system 10 according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1 , the DTV system 10 may be embodied by a satellite DTV system, a cable DTV system, a handheld DTV system, a terrestrial DTV system, etc. The DTV system 10 includes a high definition (HD) TV system, an image processing device, etc. The handheld DTV system may be embodied by mobile phones, smart phones, tablet personal computers (PCs), car navigation systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), etc.

The DTV system 10 may include a tuner 20 , an analog front end (AFE) 30 , a demodulator 40 , and a decoder 50 . According to various exemplary embodiments, the AFE 30 , the demodulator 40 , and the decoder 50 may be integrated in a single integrated circuit (IC), and the turner 20 may also be integrated in the single IC.

The tuner 20 includes appropriate circuits, logics, and/or codes, and may obtain radio frequency (RF) signals RF and generate a single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN and/or differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN from the RF.

The differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN may include differential digital TV broadcast signals, for example, DTV video signals and DTV sound intermediate frequency signals. Also, the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN may include differential analog TV broadcast signals, for example, analog video signals and analog sound intermediate frequency signals.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the differential digital TV broadcast signals, that is, the DTV video signals and the DTV sound intermediate frequency signals, may be signals according to a digital video broadcasting (DVB) family that is a DTV standard in Europe, for example, DVB-S (satellite), DVB-T (terrestrial), DVB-C (cable), DVB-H (handheld), or DVB-SH (satellite services to handheld).

According to another exemplary embodiment, the differential digital TV broadcast signals, that is, the DTV video signals and the DTV sound intermediate frequency signals, may be signals corresponding to an advanced television system committee (ATSC) family that is a DTV standard in North America, for example, ATSC (terrestrial/cable) or ATSC-M/H (mobile/handheld).

According to still another exemplary embodiment, the differential digital TV broadcast signals, that is, the DTV video signals and the DTV sound intermediate frequency signals, may be signals appropriate for an integrated services digital broadcasting (ISDB) that is a DTV standard in Japan and Latin America, for example, ISDB-S (satellite), ISDB-T (terrestrial), ISDB-C (cable), and 1 seg (handheld). The 1 seg is mobile terrestrial digital sound intermediate frequency/video and data broadcasting services used in Japan, Chile, Peru, and Argentina.

According to still another exemplary embodiment, the differential digital TV broadcast signals, that is, the DTV video signals and the DTV sound intermediate frequency signals, may be signals satisfying ISDB-Tb (international system for digital broadcast, terrestrial, Brazilian version) that is a DTV standard in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uruguay.

According to still another exemplary embodiment, the differential digital TV broadcast signals, that is, the DTV video signals and the DTV sound intermediate frequency signals, may be signals satisfying China digital multimedia broadcasting-terrestrial/handheld (CDMB-T/H) or China mobile multimedia broadcasting (CMMB) that is a DTV standard in China.

According to still another exemplary embodiment, the differential digital TV broadcast signals, that is, the DTV video signals and the DTV sound intermediate frequency signals, may be signals satisfying terrestrial-digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) or satellite-digital multimedia broadcasting (S-DMB) that is a DTV standard in Korea.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the differential analog TV broadcast signals, that is, the analog video signals and the analog sound intermediate frequency signals, may be signals appropriate for national television system committee (NTSC), phase alternating line (PAL), or sequential color with memory (SECAM).

The AFE 30 that may be integrated in a single chip may process, for example, analog-to-digital convert, the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN, and output a digital code AFE_OUT according to a processing result. The demodulator 40 may demodulate the digital code AFE_OUT output from the AFE 30 , and the decoder 50 may decode the demodulated digital code demodulated by the demodulator 40 .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the AFE 30 of FIG. 1 , according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the analog front end (AFE) 30 a of FIG. 2 that is an exemplary embodiment of the AFE 30 of FIG. 1 includes a first selection circuit (or a first processing circuit) 32 , a second selection circuit (or a second processing circuit) 34 a , and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 36 .

The first selection circuit 32 , in response to a first selection signal SIG_SEL, selectively outputs the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN or differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN, or IDAP and IDAN, which are generated based on the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN. The second selection circuit 34 a , in response to a second selection signal SEL 2 , selectively outputs any one of a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , or f 4 , to the ADC 36 .

The ADC 36 may convert the differential output signals of the first selection circuit 32 to a digital code AFE_OUT according to the sampling frequencies f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , or f 4 of the clock signal selectively output by the second selection circuit 34 a . The digital code AFE_OUT may be M bits where M is a natural number, for example, 10 or 12 (i.e., M=10 or M=12).

The first selection circuit 32 includes a single-to-differential converter 32 - 1 , a first multiplexer 32 - 2 , and a second multiplexer 32 - 3 . The single-to-differential converter 32 - 1 converts the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN to the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN, or IDAP or IDAN.

The single-to-differential converter 32 - 1 includes a direct current (DC) signal generator 32 - 11 and a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) 32 - 12 .

The DC signal generator 32 - 11 sets a DC level on the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN and outputs the first differential sound intermediate frequency signals IDAP and IDAN on which a DC level is set. The PGA 32 - 12 controls, for example, increases or decreases, gain of each of the first differential sound intermediate frequency signals IDAP and IDAN to output the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN. Any one (e.g., IDAP) of the first differential sound intermediate frequency signals IDAP and IDAN generated by the DC signal generator 32 - 11 is supplied to the first multiplexer 32 - 2 , whereas the other one (e.g., IDAN) of the first differential sound intermediate frequency signals IDAP and IDAN is supplied to the second multiplexer 32 - 3 .

Although FIG. 2 illustrates that the first differential sound intermediate frequency signals IDAP and IDAN are respectively supplied to input terminals of the first and second multiplexers 32 - 2 and 32 - 3 , the first differential sound intermediate frequency signals IDAP and IDAN may not be respectively supplied to input terminals of the first and second multiplexers 32 - 2 and 32 - 3 in some exemplary embodiments.

The first multiplexer 32 - 2 , in response to the first selection signal SIG_SEL, selectively outputs any one, for example, AP or IDAP, of the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN, or IDAP and IDAN, or any one, for example, CHIF_INP, of the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN, to the ADC 36 . The second multiplexer 32 - 3 , in response to the first selection signal SIG_SEL, selectively outputs the other one, for example, AN or IDAN, of the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN, or IDAP and IDAN, or the other one, for example, CHIF_INN, of the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN, to the ADC 36 . The first selection signal SIG_SEL may include one or more bits.

For example, when the first selection circuit 32 is operated in a first operation mode in which the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN, or IDAP and IDAN, are output or processed, the first and second multiplexers 32 - 2 and 32 - 3 , in response to the first selection signal SIG_SEL, output the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN, or IDAP and IDAN, having carrier frequencies of several megahertz (MHz), to the ADC 36 . However, when the first selection circuit 32 is operated in a second operation mode in which the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN are output or processed, the first and second multiplexers 32 - 2 and 32 - 3 , in response to the first selection signal SIG_SEL, output the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN, having carrier frequencies of tens of megahertz (MHz), to the ADC 36 .

The second selection circuit 34 a may include a first frequency divider 34 - 1 , a third multiplexer 34 - 2 , a phase locked loop (PLL) 34 - 3 , and a fourth multiplexer 34 - 5 . The first frequency divider 34 - 1 may divide the first frequency f 1 of a source clock signal CLK_IN that is externally input by a division ratio K, where K is a real number, and generate a divided clock signal having the second frequency f 2 .

The third multiplexer 34 - 2 , in response to a clock selection signal SELC, may selectively output the source clock signal CLK_IN and the divided clock signal output from the first frequency divider 34 - 1 . The PLL 34 - 3 receives the clock signal output from the third multiplexer 34 - 2 as an input clock signal and outputs a low jitter PLL clock signal having the third frequency f 3 . The fourth multiplexer 34 - 5 , in response to the second selection signal SEL 2 , selectively outputs the clock signal output from the third multiplexer 34 - 2 and the PLL clock signal output from the PLL 34 - 3 . The clock selection signal SELC or the second selection signal SEL 2 may include one or more bits.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second selection circuit 34 a may further include a second frequency divider 34 - 4 embodied outside the PLL 34 - 3 . The second frequency divider 34 - 4 may divide the third frequency f 3 of the PLL clock signal output from the PLL 34 - 3 by a division ratio L, where L is a real number, and generate a divided clock signal having the fourth frequency f 4 . Thus, the fourth multiplexer 34 - 5 selectively outputs any one of a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , and f 4 , to the ADC 36 , according to the second selection signal SEL 2 .

For example, in the first or second operation mode, the carrier frequency of the sampling frequencies f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , or f 4 of the clock signal output from the second selection circuit 34 may be tens of megahertz (MHz). However, the carrier frequency of each sampling frequency f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , or f 4 may vary according to design specifications.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a single AFE ( 30 or 30 a ) has an effect of selectively processing the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN according to an operation mode, for example, the first operation mode or the second operation mode.

Also, since the AFE 30 a may generate the respective sampling frequencies f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , and f 4 for sampling the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN, the differential digital TV broadcast signals, or the differential analog TV broadcast signals according to various DTV standards, using the PLL 34 - 3 embodied inside, the AFE 30 a has an effect of being commonly used for DTVs using the above-described various DTV standards. In some exemplary embodiments, a sampling clock signal output from the second selection circuit 34 a may be provided as an operation clock signal of the demodulator 40 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the AFE 30 of FIG. 1 , according to another exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , except for a second selection circuit or second processing circuit 34 b of FIG. 3 , the structure of the AFE 30 b of FIG. 3 is substantially the same as or similar to that of the AFE 30 a of FIG. 2 .

The second selection circuit 34 b includes a fractional-N phase locked loop (PLL) 111 and a selection circuit 113 . For example, the selection circuit 113 may be embodied by a multiplexer. The fractional-N PLL 111 that is used as an example of a frequency synthesizer may receive the source clock signal CLK_IN as an input clock signal and generate a clock signal. The fractional-N PLL 111 may not only reduce a lock-up time but also reduce phase noise.

The selection circuit 113 , in response to a selection signal SEL 11 , outputs any one of the source clock signal CLK_IN and the clock signal output from the fractional-N PLL 111 as a sampling clock signal, to the ADC 36 . For example, when the selection signal SEL 11 is at a first level, for example, a low level, the selection circuit 113 may output the source clock signal CLK_IN. When the selection signal SEL 11 is at a second level, for example, a high level, the selection circuit 113 may output the output clock signal of the fractional-N PLL 111 .

The ADC 36 may convert the output signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN, AP and AN, or IDAP and IDAN of the first selection circuit 32 to a digital code AFE_OUT according to a sampling frequency of the clock signal selectively output by the second selection circuit 34 b . In some exemplary embodiments, the sampling clock signal output from the second selection circuit 34 b may be provided as an operation clock signal of the demodulator 40 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a DTV system 10 a according to another exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4 , the DTV system 10 a is another example of the DTV system 10 of FIG. 1 and may include the tuner 20 , an AFE 30 - 1 , a demodulator 40 - 1 , and the decoder 50 .

The AFE 30 - 1 may further generate a plurality of system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 in addition to a sampling clock signal ADCCLK. No skew exists between the sampling clock signal ADCCLK and each of the plurality of system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 , as shown in FIG. 6 . For example, a rising edge (or a falling edge) of the sampling clock signal ADCCLK and a rising edge (or a falling edge) of each of the plurality of system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 are aligned in terms of time. The sampling clock signal ADCCLK and each of the plurality of system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 may be described as synchronized with each other. The demodulator 40 - 1 may demodulate the digital code AFE_OUT using at least one of the sampling clock signal ADCCLK and the plurality of system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the AFE 30 - 1 of FIG. 4 , according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5 , except for a second selection circuit or second processing circuit 34 c of FIG. 5 , the structure of the AFE 30 c of FIG. 5 is substantially the same as or similar to that of the AFE 30 a of FIG. 2 .

The second selection circuit 34 c includes a fractional-N PLL 134 , a first selector 136 , a deskew frequency divider 137 , and a second selector 139 . For example, each of the selectors 136 and 139 may be embodied by a multiplexer.

The fractional-N PLL 134 may receive the source clock signal CLK_IN as an input clock signal and generate a clock signal.

The first selector 136 , in response to a selection signal SEL 21 , selectively outputs any one of the source clock signal CLK_IN and the output clock signal of the fractional-N PLL 134 . The deskew frequency divider 137 divides a frequency of a clock signal DCLK output from the first selector 136 and generates the plurality of system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 having no skew between each other. The frequencies of the plurality of system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 are different from each other.

The deskew frequency divider 137 includes a first frequency divider 137 - 1 and a second frequency divider 137 - 2 . The first frequency divider 137 - 1 divides a frequency of the DCLK of the first selector 136 by a first division ratio N 1 and generates a first system clock signal SysCLK 0 having a divided frequency. The second frequency divider 137 - 2 divides a frequency of the output clock signal of the first frequency divider 137 - 1 by a second division ratio N 2 .

The first division ratio N 1 that is a natural number may be adjusted according to a first code CODE 1 that is externally input, and the second division ratio N 2 that is a natural number may be adjusted according to a second code CODE 2 that is externally input.

The deskew frequency divider 137 may further include a third frequency divider 137 - 3 and a fourth frequency divider 137 - 4 . The third frequency divider 137 - 3 divides a frequency of the clock signal DCLK of the first selector 136 by a third division ratio N 3 and generates a second system clock signal SysCLK 1 having a divided frequency. The fourth frequency divider 137 - 4 divides a frequency of the clock signal DCLK of the first selector 136 by a fourth division ratio N 4 and generates a third system clock signal SysCLK 3 having a divided frequency.

The third division ratio N 3 that is a natural number may be adjusted according to a third code CODE 3 that is externally input, and the fourth division ratio N 4 that is a natural number may be adjusted according to a fourth code CODE 4 that is externally input. Each of the division ratios N 1 -N 4 may be reset or initialized by a reset signal RST.

Although FIG. 5 illustrates the deskew frequency divider 137 that generates three system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 for convenience of explanation, in some exemplary embodiments, the deskew frequency divider 137 may include a plurality of frequency dividers, each being capable of dividing a frequency of the clock signal DCLK of the first selector 136 by different division ratios.

The second selector 139 , in response to a second selection signal SEL 22 , outputs the clock signal DCLK output from the first selector 136 or the clock signal output from the second frequency divider 137 - 2 as the sampling clock signal ADCCLK. Thus, the ADC 36 , in response to the sampling clock signal ADCCLK output from the second selector 139 , may convert the output signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN, AP and AN, or IDAP and IDAN output from the first selection circuit 32 , to the digital code AFE_OUT.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the plurality of clock signals ADCCLK, SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 may be supplied to the demodulator 40 - 1 . The demodulator 40 - 1 may demodulate the digital code AFE_OUT using at least one of the plurality of clock signals ADCCLK, SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 output from the AFE 30 - 1 .

In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the plurality of clock signals ADCCLK, SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 output from the AFE 30 - 1 , that is, the second selection circuit 34 c , may be used as an operation clock signal of the decoder 50 or an operation clock signal of an internal circuit (not shown) embodied in the DTV system 10 .

FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram of the system clock signals of FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 shows waveforms of the system clock signals when the first division ratio N 1 is 2, the second division ratio N 2 is 3, and the fourth division ratio N 4 is 1024.

In some exemplary embodiments, each of the frequency dividers 137 - 1 to 137 - 4 may include a plurality of sub-frequency dividers (not shown) having different frequency division ratios. An output signal of each of the sub-frequency dividers may be selectively output according to each code CODE 1 to CODE 4 .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a method of operating the analog front end 30 of FIG. 1 . Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7 , the first selection circuit 32 outputs the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN or the IDAP and IDAN, or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN according to the first selection signal SIG_SEL (operation S 10 ).

The second selection circuit 34 a , 34 b , or 34 c may selectively output any one of a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies according to the selection signal SEL 2 , SEL 11 , or SEL 22 (operation S 20 ). The ADC 36 may convert the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN or the IDAP and IDAN, or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN output from the first selection circuit 32 , to the digital code AFE_OUT, according to a sampling frequency of a clock signal that is selectively output by the second selection circuit 34 a , 34 b , or 34 c (operation S 30 ).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a method of operating the DTV system 10 of FIG. 1 . Referring to FIGS. 1 to 8 , an operation method of the DTV system 10 including the tuner 20 that generates the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN and/or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN from radio frequency (RF) signals and the AFE 30 that generates the digital code AFE_OUT from the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN.

The tuner 20 generates the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN and/or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN from the RF signals (operation S 2 ). The single-to-differential converter 32 - 1 of the AFE 30 generates the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN, or the IDAP and IDAN from the single-ended sound intermediate frequency signal SIF_IN (operation S 4 ).

The first selection circuit 32 selectively outputs the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN or the IDAP and IDAN, or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN to the ADC 36 according to the first selection signal SIG_SEL (operation S 10 ). The second selection circuit 34 a , 34 b , or 34 c may selectively output any one of a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies according to the selection signal SEL 2 , SEL 11 , or SEL 22 (operation S 20 ).

The ADC 36 may convert the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN or the IDAP and IDAN, or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN output from the first selection circuit 32 to the digital code AFE_CODE according to a sampling frequency of the clock signal selectively output by the second selection circuit 34 a , 34 b , or 34 c (operation S 30 ).

The demodulator 40 demodulates the digital code AFE_OUT (operation S 40 ) and the decoder 50 decodes the demodulated digital code (operation S 50 ).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a method of manufacturing the analog front end of FIG. 1 . Referring to FIGS. 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , and 9 , the method of manufacturing the AFE 30 of a DTV is described as follows.

The first selection circuit 32 for outputting the differential sound intermediate frequency signals AP and AN or the IDAP and IDAN, or the differential TV broadcast signals CHIF_INP and CHIF_INN, for example, according to a signal SIG_SEL determining an operation mode, is formed or provided in a first region of a semiconductor substrate (operation S 110 ).

The second selection circuit 34 a , 34 b , or 34 c for selectively outputting any one of a plurality of clock signals having different sampling frequencies according to the selection signal SEL 2 , SEL 22 , or SEL 22 is formed or provided in a second region of the semiconductor substrate (operation S 120 ).

The ADC 36 for converting the output signals of the first selection circuit 32 to the digital code AFE_OUT according to a sampling frequency of the clock signal output from the second selection circuit 34 a , 34 b , or 34 c is formed or provided in a third region of the semiconductor substrate (operation S 130 ).

The operations S 110 , S 120 , and S 130 are separated for convenience of explanation, and each of the operations S 110 , S 120 , and S 130 may be performed simultaneously or at different times according to a manufacturing process of the AFE 30 . At least a part of the first region, at least a part of the second region, and/or at least a part of the third region may be horizontally or vertically overlapped with one another.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the DTV system 10 a of FIG. 4 . The operation of the DTV system 10 a is described as follows with reference to FIGS. 4 , 5 , 6 , and 10 .

The fractional-N PLL 134 generates a PLL clock signal using the source clock signal CLK_IN (operation S 210 ). The first selector 136 , in response to the selection signal SEL 21 , selectively outputs any one of the source clock signal CLK_IN and the PLL clock signal (operation S 220 ). As shown in FIG. 3 or 5 , the clock signal output from the selection circuit 113 or 136 my be used as a sampling clock signal of the ADC 36 .

The deskew frequency divider 137 generates a plurality of system clock signals having no skew therebetween, for example, the deskew system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 , using the clock signal DCLK output from the first selector 136 , a shown in FIG. 6 (operation S 230 ). A rising edge (or a falling edge) of each of the system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 and a rising edge (or a falling edge) of the clock signal DCLK output from the first selector 136 are aligned in terms of time. Thus, no skew exists between each of the system clock signals SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 and the clock signal DCLK output from the first selector 136 .

The second selector 139 , in response to the selection signal SEL 22 , outputs the clock signal DCLK output from the first selector 136 or the clock signal of the first frequency divider 137 - 2 as the sampling clock signal ADCCLK (operation S 240 ). The ADC 36 converts the differential analog signals to an M-bit digital code AFE_OUT using the sampling clock signal ADCCLK (operation S 250 ). The demodulator 40 - 1 demodulates the M-bit digital code AFE_OUT using at least one of the clock signals ADCCLK, SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 output from the AFE 30 - 1 (operation S 260 ).

As described above with reference to FIG. 3 , the signal processing circuit including the fractional-N PLL 111 , the selection circuit 113 , and the ADC 36 may be applied to all signal processing circuits that are capable of converting analog differential signals to a digital code using the sampling clock signal ADCCLK. The demodulator included in the signal processing circuit may demodulate the digital code output from the ADC 36 using the sampling clock signal ADCCLK.

Also, as described above with reference to FIG. 5 , the signal processing circuit including the fractional-N PLL 134 , the deskew frequency divider 137 , the selection circuits 136 and 139 , and the ADC 36 may be applied to all signal processing circuits that are capable of converting analog differential signals to a digital code using the sampling clock signal ADCCLK.

The demodulator included in the signal processing circuit may demodulate the digital code output from the ADC 36 using at least one of the clock signals ADCCLK, SysCLK 0 , SysCLK 1 , and SysCLK 2 output from the deskew frequency divider 137 . The analog front end according to exemplary embodiments has an effect of selectively processing the sound intermediate frequency signal, the differential DTV broadcast signals, and the differential analog TV broadcast signals according to an operation mode. Also, the analog front end including a phase locked loop has an effect of generating a sampling frequency including low jitter that may be commonly used for various DTV standards.

The analog front end according to exemplary embodiments has an effect of simultaneously generating various system clock signals used in a DTV system and a sampling clock signal that may convert the differential analog signals to a digital code.

While exemplary embodiments have been particularly shown and described above, it will be understood that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of present inventive concept.