A low power Ku phase locked oscillator in low cost 130 nm CMOS technology

Abstract

This paper reports on a Ku low-power integer-N phase locked oscillator designed to investigate the potentialities of a low-cost 130nm CMOS technology for video broadcasting and radiometry applications. The design and the characterization of the prototype are described and the main performances are reported and compared to literature. The PLO generates an output tone in the 14.2GHz–15.1GHz frequency range. The phase noise is −68.9dBc/Hz for an offset frequency of 100kHz from a 15GHz carrier, and can be enhanced of about 20dB. The circuit core sinks 23.7mA from 1.2V supply.