Graphical method for the phase noise optimization applied to a 6-GHz fully integrated NMOS differential LC VCO

International audienceThis paper describes the design and the optimization in terms of phase noise of a fully integrated NMOS Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) using a 0.25 μm BICMOS SiGe process. A three-dimensional phase noise analysis diagram and a graphical optimization approach is presented to optimize the phase noise of the VCO while satisfying design constraints such as tank amplitude, power dissipation, tuning range and start up conditions. At 2.5 V power supply voltage, the optimized VCO features a simulated phase noise of -118 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset from a 6.12 GHz carrier. The VCO is tuned from 6.1 GHz to 7.9 GHz with a tuning voltage varying from 0 to 2.5 V, and a power dissipation of only 7.4 mW

Design and Implementation of A 6-GHz array of two Differential Oscillators Coupled Through a MOS transistor Network

International audienceDuring the past decade, coupled oscillators have shown their efficiency as simple methods for phase control in microwave antenna arrays, and hence as alternatives to conventional electronic beam steering methods. This paper describes the design and the implementation of a fully monolithic coupled-oscillator array, operating at 6 GHz in 0.25 μm BICMOS SiGe process. A novel and original method, based on the use of a MOS transistor, for coupling the differential oscillators is developed and presented. At 2.5 V power supply voltage, and a power dissipation of only 62.5 mW, the coupled oscillators array features a simulated phase noise of -124.8 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset from a 6.01 GHz carrier, giving a simulated phase progression that was continuously variable over the range -84 ° < Δ phi < 84 ° and -96° < Δ phi < 96°

A Low Phase Noise Fully Monolithic 6 GHz Differential Coupled NMOS LC-VCO

International audienceA fully monolithic 6 GHz low-phase noise Voltage-Controlled-Oscillator (VCO) is presented in this paper. It consists in two LC-NMOS differential VCOs coupled through a resistive network and is implemented on a 0.25 µm BiCMOS SiGe process. This proposed integrated VCO can be used also for phased-array applications to steer the beam over the entire spatial range. In this case, the radiation pattern of the phased antenna array is steered in a particular direction by establishing a constant phase progression in the oscillator chain which can be obtained by detuning the free-running frequencies of the two oscillators in the array. At 2.5 V power supply voltage and a power dissipation of 62.5 mW, the coupled VCO array features a measured worst case phase noise of –102.4 dBc/Hz and –125.64 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz and 1 MHz frequency offset respectively from a 6 GHz carrier. The tuning range is about 400 MHz, from 5.85 to 6.25 GHz, for a tuning voltage varying from 0 to 2.5 V