MTBF (synchronizer): definition

Beginner

The average time between failures. For a good synchronizer it is far longer than the product’s life.

Novice

Mean time between failures: the average time between errors. A well-designed synchronizer has an MTBF far longer than the product will ever be used, often longer than the age of the universe.

Expert

For a synchronizer, $\mathrm{MTBF} = e^{S/\tau} / (T_{\mathrm{W}} F_{\mathrm{C}} F_{\mathrm{D}})$ : $S$ is the settling time allowed, $\tau$ and $T_{\mathrm{W}}$ are properties of the flip-flop, $F_{\mathrm{C}}$ is the clock rate and $F_{\mathrm{D}}$ the rate at which the incoming data changes. It grows exponentially with $S$ and falls in proportion to the clock rate, the data rate and the number of synchronizers.