Low power active load and IMOS varactor based VCO designs using differential delay stages in 0.18 ​μm technology. (April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jangra, Vivek; Kumar, Manoj
• Is Part Of: Microelectronics journal. Volume 98(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Subjects: Active load -- Differential -- Delay cell -- Figure of merit -- IMOS -- Low power -- Phase noise -- Tuning range; Microelectronics -- Periodicals; Microélectronique -- Périodiques; Microelectronics; Electronic journals; Journals - contents and abstracts; Periodicals; 621.3805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mejo.2020.104728
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-8324

Abstract

Abstract: This paper proposes low power differential voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) with active load and IMOS varactor in delay stages. VCO circuits utilize two NOR gates in differential mode. The different levels of gate bias voltage ( V b i a s ) of the PMOS/NMOS active load along with variations in the varactor control voltage ( V c o n t r o l ) of inversion mode MOSFET (IMOS) achieves a wide frequency tuning range. PMOS active load VCO shows the output frequency range from 4.656 ​GHz to 5.333 ​GHz and power dissipation of 2.539 ​mW. NMOS active load VCO shows the output frequency range from 4.782 ​GHz to 5.516 ​GHz and power dissipation of 2.225 ​mW. The results with different width of varactor diode and bias voltages of active load are also reported in this work. Proposed VCO circuits are showing a phase noise of −102.37 dBc/Hz for PMOS active load, and −98.63 dBc/Hz for NMOS active load at 1 ​MHz offset with the corresponding figure of merit (FoM) of −172.86 dBc and −168.41 dBc, respectively.