Design and Implementation of A 6-GHz Array of Four Differential VCOs Coupled Through a Resistive Network

Dorra Mellouli (1, 2, 3) , David Cordeau (4) , Hassene Mnif (1) , Jean-Marie Paillot (4) , Mourad Loulou (5)

1 CEM Lab - ENIS - Département de Génie Électrique de Sfax [ENIS]
2 LIAS [Poitiers] - Laboratoire d'informatique et d'automatique pour les systèmes [EA 6315]
3 A&S - Automatique et Systèmes
4 XLIM-SIC - SIC
5 Laboratory of Electronics and Information Technologies

This paper presents the design and the implementation of a fully monolithic coupled-oscillator array, operating at 6 GHz with close to zero coupling phase, in 0.25 μm BICMOS SiGe process. This array is made of four LC-NMOS differential VCOs coupled through a resistor. The single LC-NMOS VCO structure is designed and optimized in terms of phase noise with a graphical optimization approach while satisfying design constraints. At 2.5 V power supply voltage, and a power dissipation of only 125 mW, the coupled oscillators array features a simulated phase noise of -127.3 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset from a 6 GHz carrier, giving a simulated phase progression that was continuously variable over the range -64° < Δphi <64 ° and -116° < Δphi < 116°. This constant phase progression can be established by slightly detuning the peripheral array elements, while maintaining mutual synchronization.

Domaines: Electronique

Dorra Mellouli, David Cordeau, Hassene Mnif, Jean-Marie Paillot, Mourad Loulou. Design and Implementation of A 6-GHz Array of Four Differential VCOs Coupled Through a Resistive Network. Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing, 2013, 76 (2), pp.179-193. ⟨10.1007/s10470-013-0099-6⟩. ⟨hal-00835698⟩