Millimetre-wave (mm-Wave) and sub-terahertz (sub-THz) oscillators are the most critical elements of mm-Wave/sub-THz signal-generation systems as their performance, in terms of tuning range, phase noise and output power, significantly affects the system performance. With the continuous scaling of the complementary metaloxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technologies, the realization of the fundamental CMOS voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) operating at mm-Wave/sub-THz frequency ranges has made understanding more feasible and attractive. However, it is still very challenging for fundamental oscillators to achieve a wide frequency tuning range with low phase noise and low power consumption at such high frequencies. This chapter discusses and demonstrates mm-Wave and sub-THz oscillators using magnetic tuning techniques, for both coarse and fine frequency tuning, to achieve a wide tuning range, low phase noise and low power consumption.

Chapter Contents:

• 12.1 Introduction
• 12.2 Magnetic tuning technique
• 12.2.1 Coarse magnetic tuning
• 12.2.2 Fine magnetic tuning
• 12.2.2.1 Fine magnetic tuning with variable capacitor
• 12.2.2.2 Fine magnetic tuning with variable resistor
• 12.2.2.3 Fine magnetic tuning with variable transistor
• 12.2.3 Coarse and fine magnetic tuning
• 12.2.4 Fine magnetic tuning with split transformer
• 12.3 Design prototypes
• 12.3.1 Coarse magnetic tuning multi-mode VCO
• 12.3.2 Coarse and fine magnetic tuning DB-VCO
• 12.3.3 Fine magnetic tuning split transformer-based VCO
• 12.4 Conclusion
• References

Inspec keywords: voltage-controlled oscillators; circuit tuning; low-power electronics; field effect MIMIC; millimetre wave oscillators; power consumption; phase noise; submillimetre wave oscillators; CMOS analogue integrated circuits

Other keywords: low power consumption; wide frequency tuning range; low phase noise; mm-Wave-sub-THz signal-generation systems; mm-wave CMOS VCOs; fundamental CMOS voltage-controlled oscillators; coarse frequency tuning; wide tuning range; sub-THz CMOS VCOs; output power; fine frequency tuning; complementary metal oxide-semiconductor technologies; system performance; millimetre-wave oscillators; magnetic tuning techniques

Subjects: Oscillators; CMOS integrated circuits; Microwave integrated circuits