Low voltage SAW oscillator

Modern RF transceivers require a local oscillator with minimal phase noise to meet the stringent requirements of today´s wireless systems. Furthermore, emerging wireless applications require that the power consumption of the whole system be minimized, especially in mobile units. In addition, there is a trend towards using low supply voltages in portable communication circuits. This paper describes the design of an surface acoustic wave (SAW) oscillator that is based on a Pierce topology, operating at 976 MHz. The active components of the circuit are implemented in CMOSP 0.18-μm technology and operate with a 1 V power supply. The oscillator has a power consumption of 9.4 mW at 976 MHz with a phase noise of -156 dBc/Hz at an offset of 600 kHz. An output buffer stage is used, with a supply current of less than 2.5 mA. A figure of merit for the circuit is computed and shown to be an improvement over previously published works.