Optimised MEMS-based reconfigurable VCO for a mobile receiver

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of an optimised MEMS-based reconfigurable VCO for a multi-standard mobile terminal for GSM900, DCS1800 and WCDMA standards. In this VCO design, the passive components, including inductors, capacitors and switches are replaced by MEMS components, to improve the system performance and reduce the system power consumption. Moreover, a phase noise optimisation algorithm is also proposed to optimise the VCO design for optimum system phase noise and minimum power consumption. Results show that a 50% reduction of power consumption is achieved when the MEMS components are used instead of the passive components. A 31% further reduction of power consumption is also achieved when the tail-current optimisation algorithm is applied. This characteristic makes the VCO a better candidate for wireless communication applications where power consumption is the major factor.