A 400-mV 2.4-GHz frequency-shift keying transmitter using a capacitor switch across a transformer for a wide tuning range voltage-controlled oscillator

Abstract

We use a simple directly modulated closed loop to develop a 2.1-mW, 2.4-GHz frequency-shift keying (FSK) transmitter that operates on 400-mV DC supply. Connecting a capacitor bank switch via a transformer in the voltage control oscillator (VCO) to the frequency-divider circuit expands the frequency tuning range without reducing VCO performance. A prototype was fabricated using the 65-nm standard CMOS process with a chip size of 1.65 × 1.85 mm2. A modulation output signal spectrum of −42 dBc at 1.5 MHz with −6 dBm at the PA buffer output terminal; moreover, a VCO phase noise of −101 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz is achieved. The FSK transmitter can readily use voltages supplied by harvested energy because of the low power consumption of the sensor network.