Title :
Fully-integrated 1-dimensional RF coupled-oscillator network for phase-shifterless phased array systems
Author :
Lopez, J. ; Lie, D.Y.C. ; Meadow, B.K. ; Cothern, J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX, USA
Abstract :
A fully-monolithic 3-element array of coupled voltage-controlled-oscillator (VCO) network was fabricated in a 0.18μm SiGe BiCMOS process for potential use in a Rx/Tx modules. A digitally controlled on-chip passive network was designed and used for controlling the coupling strength across the array VCO units. The operational bandwidth of this core network resides in the S-Band from 1.2GHz to 1.7GHz. The integrated VCO network can be injection-locked via an external RF source to achieve excellent phase noise performance. These characteristics make this coupled-VCO network a very attractive choice for possible use in phased-array radar applications. The chip´s total power consumption is 30mW (12mA at 2.5V).
Keywords :
antenna phased arrays; injection locked oscillators; voltage-controlled oscillators; BiCMOS process; SiGe; array VCO units; coupled voltage controlled oscillator network; coupling strength; digitally controlled on-chip passive network; frequency 1.2 GHz to 1.7 GHz; fully integrated RF coupled oscillator network; injection-locked; operational bandwidth; phase shifterless; phased array systems; Arrays; BiCMOS integrated circuits; Couplings; Phase noise; Radio frequency; Tuning; Voltage-controlled oscillators; SiGe/BiCMOS LC VCO; coupled VCO; injection locking; non-linear dynamics; phase-shifterless phased array; phased array;
Conference_Titel :
Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting (BCTM), 2010 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Austin, TX
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-8578-9
DOI :
10.1109/BIPOL.2010.5667990
