A 21 GHz Complementary Transformer Coupled CMOS VCO

• Published in: IEEE microwave and wireless components letters 2008-04, Vol.18 (4), p.278-280
• Main Authors: LI, Chao-Chieh, WANG, To-Po, KUO, Che-Chung, CHUANG, Mei-Chen, HUEI WANG
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Broadside coupled transformer; Circuit properties; CMOS; CMOS process; Design. Technologies. Operation analysis. Testing; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronic circuits; Electronic equipment and fabrication. Passive components, printed wiring boards, connectics; Electronics; Energy consumption; Exact sciences and technology; Frequency; Inductors; Integrated circuits; K-band; low power; Microwave circuits, microwave integrated circuits, microwave transmission lines, submillimeter wave circuits; Microwaves; Noise; Oscillators, resonators, synthetizers; Phase noise; Phase transformations; Power consumption; Power generation; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Topology; Transformer cores; Transformers; Tuning; Voltage-controlled oscillators; voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs)
• ISSN: 1531-1309; 2771-957X; 1558-1764; 2771-9588
• DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2008.918949

A new topology for low power voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) using a 0.18-mum CMOS foundry process is presented in this letter. From the measured results, the VCO exhibits a tuning range of 3% at 21.3 GHz. Using complementary topology, the core power consumption and the output power are 9.6 mW and -3 dBm, respectively. With the broadside coupled transformer, the VCO achieves a good phase noise of -106 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset and a compact chip size of 350 times 470 mum 2 . It is the first time that the broadside coupled transformer approach is applied to transformer coupled CMOS VCOs.