A 25-GHz ultra-low phase noise InGaP/GaAs HBT VCO

Author

Bao, Mingquan ; Li, Yinggang ; Jacobsson, Harald

Author_Institution

Microwave & High Speed Electron. Res. Center, Ericsson AB, Molndal, Sweden

Volume

15

Issue

11

fYear

2005

Firstpage

751

Lastpage

753

Abstract

A 25-GHz monolithic voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) has been designed and fabricated in a commercial InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) process. This balanced VCO has a novel topology using a feedback π-network and a common-emitter transistor configuration. Ultra-low phase noise is achieved: -106 dBc/Hz and -130 dBc/Hz at 100kHz and 1-MHz offset frequency, respectively. To the authors´ knowledge, this is the lowest phase noise achieved in a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) VCO at such high frequency. The single-ended output power is -1 dBm. It can be tuned between 25.33GHz and 25.75GHz using the base-collector junction capacitor of the HBT as a varactor. The dc power consumption is 90mW for a 9-V supply. An excellent figure-of-merit of -195 dBc/Hz is obtained.

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; MMIC oscillators; gallium arsenide; heterojunction bipolar transistors; indium compounds; phase noise; voltage-controlled oscillators; 1 MHz; 25 GHz; 9 V; 90 mW; InGaP-GaAs; base-collector junction capacitor; common-emitter transistor; dc power consumption; heterojunction bipolar transistor process; monolithic microwave integrated circuit; phase noise; voltage controlled oscillator; Circuit topology; Feedback; Frequency; Gallium arsenide; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; Integrated circuit noise; MMICs; Microwave transistors; Phase noise; Voltage-controlled oscillators; InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT); phase noise; voltage controlled oscillator (VCO);

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1531-1309

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/LMWC.2005.858983

Filename

1525063