About Generated Clocks - About Generated Clocks - 2026.1 English - UG903

Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Using Constraints (UG903)

Document ID
UG903
Release Date
2026-07-01
Version
2026.1 English

Generated clocks are driven inside the design by special cells called Clock Modifying Blocks, such as an MMCM, or by user logic. Each generated clock is associated with a master clock. The create_generated_clock command references the start point of the master clock, which can be either a primary clock or another generated clock.

Generated clocks inherit properties from their master clock. Rather than specifying the period or waveform directly, describe how the modifying logic transforms the master clock.

The relationship between a master clock and a generated clock can involve the following:

  • A simple frequency division
  • A simple frequency multiplication
  • A combination of multiplication and division to achieve a non-integral ratio (commonly used with MMCM and PLL)
  • A phase shift or a waveform inversion
  • A duty cycle transformation
  • A combination of all the above
Note: The tool computes generated clock latency by tracing sequential and combinational paths between the generated clock source pin and the master clock source pin. To limit this to only combinational paths, use the combinational option.