Traditional design of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) can lead to unacceptable degradation of the $1/f^3$ phase-noise component when a broad tuning range is required. In this paper, the flicker noise up-conversion mechanisms in a voltage-biased topology are deeply investigated, providing general design guidelines for its mitigation. An improved VCO architecture is then introduced, where a segmented transconductor tailors the excess gain depending on the operating range to ensure that $1/f$ noise up-conversion remains minimal over the tuning range. The solution covers both fourth-generation and WiMAX 2.5-GHz bands and leads to a 10-dB reduction of the $1/f^3$ phase noise with respect to a traditional design without impairing the $1/f^2$ phase-noise performance.

Analysis and Minimization of Flicker Noise Up-Conversion in Voltage-Biased Oscillators

PEPE, FEDERICO;BONFANTI, ANDREA GIOVANNI;LEVANTINO, SALVATORE;SAMORI, CARLO;LACAITA, ANDREA LEONARDO
2013-01-01

Abstract

Traditional design of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) can lead to unacceptable degradation of the $1/f^3$ phase-noise component when a broad tuning range is required. In this paper, the flicker noise up-conversion mechanisms in a voltage-biased topology are deeply investigated, providing general design guidelines for its mitigation. An improved VCO architecture is then introduced, where a segmented transconductor tailors the excess gain depending on the operating range to ensure that $1/f$ noise up-conversion remains minimal over the tuning range. The solution covers both fourth-generation and WiMAX 2.5-GHz bands and leads to a 10-dB reduction of the $1/f^3$ phase noise with respect to a traditional design without impairing the $1/f^2$ phase-noise performance.
2013
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11311/728566
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