A fully integrated w-band push-push CMOS VCO with low phase noise and wide tuning range

Abstract

A circuit topology suitable for a low-phase-noise wide-tuning-range push-push voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is proposed in this paper. By applying varactors connected between drain and source terminations of the cross-coupled pair, the tuning range is effectively increased and the phase noise is improved. Moreover, a small capacitor is inserted between the VCO core and testing buffer to reduce loading effects on the VCO core. Furthermore, the enhanced second-harmonic output signal is extracted at middle of the varactors, leading to the elimination of RF choke at VCO's second-harmonic output port and a reduced chip size. Based on the proposed architecture, this VCO fabricated in 0.18-μm CMOS exhibits a measured 6.35% tuning range. Operating at a supply voltage of 1.2 V, the VCO core consumes 7.5-mW dc power, and the measured phase noise is -75 dBc/Hz and -91.5 dBc/Hz at 100-kHz and 1-MHz offsets from the 77.8-GHz carrier, respectively. Compared with previously published silicon-based VCOs over 70 GHz, this work can simultaneously achieve low phase noise, wide tuning range, and low dc power consumption, leading to a superior figure of merit (FOM), and better figure of merit considering the tuning range (FOM(T)). In addition, this fully integrated VCO also demonstrates the highest operation frequency among previously published 0.18-μm CMOS VCOs.