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Analysis and Design of a 17-GHz All-npn Push-Pull Class-C VCO

Veni, Simone ; Andreani, Pietro LU ; Caruso, Michele ; Tiebout, Marc and Bevilacqua, Andrea (2020) In IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 55(9). p.2345-2355
Abstract

A push-pull oscillator topology that uses only one type of active device is proposed in this article. A magnetic transformer is leveraged to set positive feedback around a common-collector differential npn transistor pair, implementing the push-pull operation. This results in half the bias current for a given amplitude of oscillation, compared to more standard oscillator topologies. A thorough phase noise analysis of the circuit is carried out, emphasizing the crucial role of the magnetic transformer in the circuit operation and noise optimization. Proof-of-concept prototypes implemented in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology operate at 17 GHz and show a phase noise as low as -116 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset, while drawing 13.7 mA from the 3.3-V... (More)

A push-pull oscillator topology that uses only one type of active device is proposed in this article. A magnetic transformer is leveraged to set positive feedback around a common-collector differential npn transistor pair, implementing the push-pull operation. This results in half the bias current for a given amplitude of oscillation, compared to more standard oscillator topologies. A thorough phase noise analysis of the circuit is carried out, emphasizing the crucial role of the magnetic transformer in the circuit operation and noise optimization. Proof-of-concept prototypes implemented in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology operate at 17 GHz and show a phase noise as low as -116 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset, while drawing 13.7 mA from the 3.3-V supply. The tuning range is 15%. While the circuit is demonstrated in SiGe BiCMOS technology, it lends itself equally well to implementations in other technologies where only one fast device is available, such as SiGe HBT, InP HBT, and GaN HEMT.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
BiCMOS, class-C, phase noise, push-pull, voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)
in
IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
volume
55
issue
9
article number
9096287
pages
11 pages
publisher
IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
external identifiers
  • scopus:85089339907
ISSN
0018-9200
DOI
10.1109/JSSC.2020.2991512
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
fa58c583-e255-40e0-84ca-c537fd6f11ac
date added to LUP
2021-01-08 12:48:22
date last changed
2022-05-12 17:16:24
@article{fa58c583-e255-40e0-84ca-c537fd6f11ac,
  abstract     = {{<p>A push-pull oscillator topology that uses only one type of active device is proposed in this article. A magnetic transformer is leveraged to set positive feedback around a common-collector differential npn transistor pair, implementing the push-pull operation. This results in half the bias current for a given amplitude of oscillation, compared to more standard oscillator topologies. A thorough phase noise analysis of the circuit is carried out, emphasizing the crucial role of the magnetic transformer in the circuit operation and noise optimization. Proof-of-concept prototypes implemented in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology operate at 17 GHz and show a phase noise as low as -116 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset, while drawing 13.7 mA from the 3.3-V supply. The tuning range is 15%. While the circuit is demonstrated in SiGe BiCMOS technology, it lends itself equally well to implementations in other technologies where only one fast device is available, such as SiGe HBT, InP HBT, and GaN HEMT.</p>}},
  author       = {{Veni, Simone and Andreani, Pietro and Caruso, Michele and Tiebout, Marc and Bevilacqua, Andrea}},
  issn         = {{0018-9200}},
  keywords     = {{BiCMOS; class-C; phase noise; push-pull; voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{2345--2355}},
  publisher    = {{IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.}},
  series       = {{IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits}},
  title        = {{Analysis and Design of a 17-GHz All-npn Push-Pull Class-C VCO}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JSSC.2020.2991512}},
  doi          = {{10.1109/JSSC.2020.2991512}},
  volume       = {{55}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}