LC VCO using dual metal inductor in $0.18{\mu}m$ mixed signal CMOS process

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a LC voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) using 1-poly 6-metal mixed signal CMOS process. To obtain the high-quality factor inductor in LC resonator, patterned-ground shields (PGS) is placed under the symmetric inductor to reduce the effect from image current of resistive Si substrate. Moreover, due to the incapability of using thick top metal layer of which the thickness is over $2{\mu}m$, as used in many RF CMOS process, the structure of dual-metal layer in which we make electrically short circuit between the top metal and the next metal below it by a great number of via materials along the metal traces is adopted. The circuit operated from 2.63 GHz to 3.09 GHz tuned by accumulation-mode MOS varactor. The corresponding tuning range was 460 MHz. The measured phase noise was -115 dBc/Hz @ 1MHz offset at 2.63 GHz carrier frequency and the current consumption and the corresponding power consumption were about 2.6 mA and 4.68 mW respectively.