Gerhard, you didn't mention a budget number for this. You should be able
to find a commercial synthesizer ready to go if you have enough money.
If it's a one-off, DIY thing, then it's a different story. If this is
the case, I'd recommend looking at the methods used in microwave
counters. They often use synthesized VHF sources and SRD multipliers and
YTFs to make and select sampling frequencies for down-converting
microwave inputs.
All I can say is that there are lots of ways, and the usual things apply.
Start as high as possible. An XO may be good up to 200 MHz or so. A SAW
resonator may be good to a GHz - noisier, but less multiplication
needed. You may be able to PLL a DRO well enough directly at 10 GHz, and
not need multiplication, with a high enough low-noise reference
frequency for comparison.
Going with a multiplier chain is reliable and straightforward, but can
get complicated due to the number of stages and filters that may be
needed. My favorite multiplier is the classic SRD. If you start with a
high enough drive frequency, selecting the desired harmonic is fairly
easy with a fixed or yig-tuned BPF. I always figure that if SRDs are
good enough to multiply by hundreds of times in Cs and Rb standards,
they're good enough for my simple needs.
An alternative to the SRD is to use extremely fast logic or line or
laser driver type parts running at VHF, that have edge speeds with
enough juice at 10 GHz, then BP filtered and amplified.
Ed
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