US Patent 7590163 Spread spectrum clock generation

There is provided a method of modifying a first clock to generate a second clock with reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI). The method comprises receiving the first clock, generating an upslew modulation form during an upslew frequency transition, generating a downslew modulation form during a downslew frequency transition, modulating a frequency of the first clock over a period of time using the upslew modulation form and the downslew modulation form to generate the second clock, and wherein the upslew modulation form and the downslew modulation form are different. The upslew modulation form and the downslew modulation form are defined by upslew modulation values and downslew modulation values, respectively, and the method further comprises receiving the upslew modulation values and the downslew modulation values, and generating fractional upslew modulation values and fractional downslew modulation, respectively, for modulating the frequency of the first clock.