A Wide Tuning-Range Triple-Mode CMOS VCO Using Switched-Tunable Inductor
You-Da Chen, Albert Chin
Abstract
A triple-mode voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with a wide tuning range (TR) is demonstrated experimentally by using standard 0.18-μm CMOS process, with a wide 38.8% frequency TR from 19.93 to 29.52 GHz, a low phase noise of -122.3 dBc/Hz ± 7.8 dBc/Hz at 10-MHz offset frequencies, and an excellent figure of merit (FoM) with TR (FoM <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">T</sub> ) of -190.3 dBc/Hz. This VCO was realized by a switched-tunable inductor with a 76% inductance tunability, in addition to the MOS varactors. The VCO experiences different equivalent inductances via magnetic flux linkage modification in three different modes.
Topics & Concepts
Voltage-controlled oscillatordBcPhase noiseInductorFigure of meritInductanceCMOSMaterials scienceElectrical engineeringOffset (computer science)OptoelectronicsVoltageEngineeringComputer scienceProgramming languageRadio Frequency Integrated Circuit DesignAdvancements in PLL and VCO TechnologiesMicrowave Engineering and Waveguides