Analysis of Phase Noise in 28 nm CMOS LC Oscillator Differential Topologies: Armstrong, Colpitts, Hartley and Common-Source Cross-Coupled Pair
Abstract
Comparative Phase Noise analyses of common-source cross-coupled pair, Colpitts, Hartley and Armstrong differential oscillator circuit topologies, designed in 28 nm bulk CMOS technology in a set of common conditions for operating frequencies in the range from 1 GHz to 100 GHz, are carried out in order to identify their relative performance. The impulse sensitivity function (ISF) is used to carry out qualitative and quantitative analyses of the noise contributions exhibited by each circuit component in each topology, allowing an understanding of their impact on phase noise. The comparative analyses show the existence of five distinct frequency regions in which the four topologies rank unevenly in terms of best phase noise performance. Moreover, the results obtained from the ISF show the impact of flicker noise contribution as the major effect leading to phase noise degradation in nanoscale CMOS LC oscillators.
This paper was recommended by Regional Editor Piero Malcovati.
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