Optimization of LC-VCO tuning range under different inductor/varactor losses limitations

Author

Abdelfattah, Omar ; Ishiang Shih ; Roberts, G. ; Yi-Chi Shih

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., McGill Univ., Montreal, QC, Canada

fYear

2014

fDate

4-7 May 2014

Firstpage

1

Lastpage

5

Abstract

This paper presents the main challenges in the design of wide tuning range LC voltage controlled oscillators (LC-VCOs) in CMOS technologies. Design trade-offs such as tank losses, phase noise, and power consumption are discussed and analyzed. A VCO that has a wide tuning range that covers frequencies from 5.5 GHz to 10.2 GHz was designed and fabricated in a 65 nm CMOS process. The worst case measured phase noise is -83 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset from the carrier. The design occupies 0.125 mm² silicon area, and dissipates 11 mW (excluding the buffers).

Keywords

CMOS integrated circuits; LC circuits; inductors; microwave oscillators; varactors; voltage-controlled oscillators; CMOS technologies; LC voltage controlled oscillators; LC-VCO; design tradeoffs; frequency 1 MHz; frequency 5.5 GHz to 10.2 GHz; inductor losses; phase noise; power 11 mW; power consumption; size 65 nm; tank losses; tuning range; varactor losses; Inductors; Phase noise; Q-factor; Transistors; Tuning; Varactors; Voltage-controlled oscillators;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE), 2014 IEEE 27th Canadian Conference on

Conference_Location

Toronto, ON

ISSN

0840-7789

Print_ISBN

978-1-4799-3099-9

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/CCECE.2014.6901071

Filename

6901071