• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.207-212
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• 2013

A new CMOS voltage-bias differential LC voltage-controlled oscillator (LC-VCO) with active source degeneration is proposed. The proposed degeneration technique preserves the quality factor of the LC-tank which leads to improvement in phase noise of VCO oscillators. The proposed VCO shows the high figure of merit (FOM) with large tuning range, low power, and small chip size compared to those of conventional voltage-bias differential LC-VCO. The proposed VCO implemented in 0.18-${\mu}m$ CMOS shows the phase noise of -118 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset oscillating at 5.03 GHz, tuning range of 12%, occupies 0.15 $mm^2$ of chip area while dissipating 1.44 mW from 0.8 V supply.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.18 no.2 s.117
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• pp.177-182
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• 2007

This paper presents the InGaP/GaAs HBT differential LC VCO with low phase noise performance for adaptive feedback interference cancellation system(AF-lCS). The VCO is verified with enhanced tank structure including filtering technique. The output tuning range for proposed VCO using asymmetric inductor and symmetric capacitors withlow pass filtering technique is 207 MHz. The output powers are -6.68 including balun and cable loss. The phase noise of this VCO at 10 kHz, 100 kHz and 1 MHz are -102.02 dBc/Hz, -112.04 dBc/Hz and -130.40 dBc/Hz. The VCO is designed within total size of $0.9{\times}0.9mm^2$.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.473-483
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• 2005

In this paper, we propose two LC voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) that improve both phase noise and tuning range. With both 1/f induced low-frequency noise and low-frequency thermal noise around DC or around harmonics suppressed significantly by the employment of a current-current negative feedback (CCNF) loop, the phase noise in the CCNF LC VCO has been improved by about 10 dB at 6 MHz offset compared to the conventional LC VCO. The phase noise of the CCNF VCO was measured as -112 dBc/Hz at 6 MHz offset from 5.5 GHz carrier frequency. Also, we present a bandwidth-enhanced LC VCO whose tuning range has been increased about 250 % by connecting the varactor to the bases of the cross-coupled pair. The phase noise of the bandwidth-enhanced LC-tank VCO has been improved by about 6 dB at 6 MHz offset compared to the conventional LC VCO. The phase noise reduction has been achieved because the DC-decoupling capacitor Cc prevents the output common-mode level from modulating the varactor bias point, and the signal power increases in the LC-tank resonator. The bandwidth-enhanced LC VCO represents a 12 % bandwidth and phase noise of -108 dBc/Hz at 6 MHz offset.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 2004

Phase noise performance and current consumption of Radio Frequency (RF) Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) are largely dependent on the Quality (Q) factor of inductor-capacitor (LC) tank. Because the Q-factor of LC tank is determined by on-chip spiral inductor, we designed, analyzed, and modeled on-chip differential inductor to enhance differential Q-factor, reduce current consumption and save silicon area. The simulated inductance is 3.3 nH and Q-factor is 15 at 2 GHz. Self-resonance frequency is as high as 13 GHz. To verify its use to RF applications, we designed 2 GHz differential LC VCO. The measurement result of phase noise is -112 dBc/Hz at an offset frequency of 100 kHz from a 2GHz carrier frequency. Tuning range is about 500 MHz (25%), and current consumption varies from 5mA to 8.4 mA using bias control technique. Implemented in $0.35-{\mu}m$ SiGe BiCMOS technology, the VCO occupies $400\;um{\times}800\;um$ of silicon area.

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.168-174
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• 2004

A bandwidth-enhanced and phase noise-improved differential LC-tank VCO is proposed in this paper. By connecting the varactors to the bases of the cross-coupled transistors of the proposed LC-tank VCO, its input negative resistance has been widened. Also, the feedback capacitor Cc in the cross-coupling path of the proposed LC-tank VCO attenuates the output common-mode level modulated by the low-frequency noise because the modulated common-mode level jitters the varactor bias point and degrades phase noise. Compared with the fabricated conventional LC-tank VCO, the proposed LC-tank VCO demonstrates $200\;\%$ enhancement in tuning range, and 6 - dB improvement in phase noise at 6 MHz offset frequency from 5.4-GHz carrier. We achieved the phase noise of - 106 dBc/Hz at 6 MHz offset, and $10\;\%$ tuning range from the proposed LC-tank VCO. The proposed LC-tank VCO consumes 12 mA at 2.5 V supply voltage.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.518-526
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• 2012

This paper proposes LC voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) phase-locked loop (PLL) and ring-VCO PLL topologies with low-phase noise. Differential control loops are used for the PLL locking through a symmetrical transformer-resonator or bilaterally controlled varactor pair. A differential compensation mechanism suppresses out-band spurious tones. The prototypes of the proposed PLL are implemented in a CMOS 65-nm or 45-nm process. The measured results of the LC-VCO PLL show operation frequencies of 3.5 GHz to 5.6 GHz, a phase noise of -118 dBc/Hz at a 1 MHz offset, and a spur rejection of 66 dBc, while dissipating 3.2 mA at a 1 V supply. The ring-VCO PLL shows a phase noise of -95 dBc/Hz at a 1 MHz offset, operation frequencies of 1.2 GHz to 2.04 GHz, and a spur rejection of 59 dBc, while dissipating 5.4 mA at a 1.1 V supply.

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.64-68
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• 2007

An InGaP/GaAs HBT based differential Colpitts voltage control oscillator(VCO) is presented in this paper. In the VCO core, two switching transistors are introduced to steer the core bias current to save power. An LC tank with an inductor quality factor(Q) of 11.4 is used to generate oscillation frequency. It has a superior phase noise characteristics of -130.12 dBc/Hz and -105.3 at 1 MHz and 100 kHz frequency offsets respectively from the carrier frequency(1.566 GHz) when supplied with a control voltage of 0 volt. It dissipates output power of -5.3 dBm. Two pairs of on-chip base collector (BC) diodes are used in the tank circuit to increase the VCO tuning range(168 MHz). This VCO occupies the area of $1.070{\times}0.90mm^2$ including buffer and pads.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.44 no.6 s.360
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• pp.60-68
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• 2007

A technique is presented to extract differential second harmonic output from common source nodes of a cross-coupled P-& N-FET oscillator. Provided the impedances at the common source nodes are optimized and the fundamental swing at the VCO core stays in a proper mode, it is found that the amplitude and phase errors can be kept within $0{\sim}1.6dB$ and $+2.2^{\circ}{\sim}-5.6^{\circ}$, respectively, over all process/temperature/voltage corners. Moreover, an impedance-tuning circuit is proposed to compensate any unexpectedly high errors on the differential signal output. A Prototype 5-GHz VCO with a 2.5-Hz LC resonator is implemented in $0.18-{\mu}m$ CMOS. The error signal between the differential outputs has been measured to be as low as -70 dBm with the aid of the tuning circuit. It implies the push-push outputs are satisfactorily differential with the amplitude and phase errors well less than 0.34 dB and $1^{\circ}$, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.501-503
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• 2008

This paper presents the design of a 2.4 GHz low phase noise fully integrated LC Voltage-Controlled-Oscillator (VCO) in $0.18{\mu}m$ CMOS technology. The VCO is without any tail bias current sources for a low phase noise and, in which differential varactors are adopted for the symmetry of the circuit. At the same time, the use of differential varactors pairs reduces the tuning range, i.e., the frequency range versus VTUNE, so that the phase noise becomes lower. The simulation results show the achieved phase noise of -138.5 dBc/Hz at 3 MHz offset, while the VCO core draws 3.9mA of current from a 1.8V supply. The tuning range is from 2.28GHz to 2.55 GHz.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.127-128
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• 2006

The proposed differential LC cross-coupled VCO is implemented in InGap/GaAs HBT process for an adaptive Global Positioning system(GPS) application. Two filtering capacitors are used at the base of output buffer amplifiers at the both sides of the core m order to improve phase noise characteristics. The VCO produced a phase noise of -133 dBc/Hz at 3MHz offset frequency from the carrier frequency of 1.489GHz and the second harmonic suppression is significantly suppresed up to -49dBc/Hz in simulation result. The three pairs of BC diodes are integrated m the tank circuit to increase the VCO Tunning range.