A wide tuning range, low noise oscillator with FoM of -188 dBc/Hz in 45 nm CMOS

Abstract

A wide tuning range, low phase noise oscillator with 3 stage differential configuration is presented. GPDK 45 nm CMOS Technology is selected for the design and simulation of the proposed circuit, under power supply impediment of 1.1 V. Proposed delay cell features ultra wide tuning range as it utilizes dual control voltages (Vc1 and Vc2), enabling large current to flow in the circuit. As frequency of oscillation has linear proportionality with the bias current, this oscillator generates frequencies from 534 MHz to 18.56 GHz. The proposed circuit occupies chip area of 102.87μm2. This circuit offers power consumption of 1.13 mWatt and phase noise of −108.61 dBc/Hz (10 MHz offset frequency) at 5.82 GHz oscillation frequency. Performance of the proposed circuit is evaluated on various temperature, supply voltage and process corners. Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) profile is also measured through simulation. Because of wide frequency spectrum, low phase noise, small area and low power budget, proposed circuit can be utilized in various power electronic applications, medical equipments, communication and navigation systems.