A low-power 5 GHz CMOS LC-VCO optimized for high-resistivity SOI substrates

This paper discusses the power saving of an LC-VCO designed on high-resistivity SOI substrates (ρ > 1000Ω·cm). It demonstrates the drastic improvement in the varactors and inductors quality factor on these substrates. It stresses on the importance of optimizing the tank inductor and the VCO for high-resistivity substrates. A 5GHz VCO designed in a 0.13μm partially depleted SOI CMOS confirms the low-power performance with a figure-of-merit greater than 190, placing this design at the top of the state-of-the-art.