CHAPTER 9

Active RF/Microwave Communication Circuits:

Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) & Frequency Synthesizer

:
D. M. Pozar, Microwave & RF Design of Wireless Systems (Ch 8)
R. Ludwig,
RF Circuit Design: Theory & Applications (Ch 10)
R. Weber, Introduction to Microwave Circuit: Radio Fequency & Design Applications (Ch 15)

Yuan-Kai Chu
802.11a WLAN 5GHz U-NII CMOS RFIC
Design of 802.11a WLAN Receiver 5GHz U-NII Band Down-Converter RFICs

(crystal oscillator)
(frequency synthesizer)

(VCO)(PLL)
(LO)

Planar
Antenna

Rx
5.725~5.825 GHz

Duplexer RF BPF
Antenna
switch

Baseband
I
LNA

Mixer

IF BPF

IF Amp
90o

480 MHz

PA

Rx Frequency
Synthesizer
5.245~5.345 GHz

LPF

480 MHz
VCO
LPF

Q
Baseband

PLL

9-2

(parasitic effects)

S-

(bypass capacitor)
(RFC)

R
Resonator

Amplifier
S 21A

T
Negative
Resistence
Element

S 21R
Resonator

(a)

(b)

(reflection form)
(transmission form)
(a) T R = 1
(b) S 21A S 21R = 1

Gunn diodes

2006

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-3

Colpitts

Clapp

Hartley

(common emitter)Clapp

( f T )10GHz(BJT) 2.5GHz

RL
out

L in

Clapp

(1) ( load-matching network),

(2) (terminating network)

Load
network

Terminating
network
[S]
L in

out T

2006

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-4
(Q-factor)
(VCO)(active port)
(resonator or tank circuit)
:
:
(tuning range)
(resonator)
(DR)YIG(mirostrip line)

RF Q(:
coaxial resonator)

DR

Coaxial Resonator

BW =
2006

1 0 L 0
=
=
Q
R
RC

0 = LC
H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-5
(Phase Noise)

(stability):
: ()
(a) Ac cos[ct + (t )]
()

A'c cos[ct + ' (t )]

: (b)
offset frequency: f m (N)
(Pout)

Output Power

Accos[ct + ]
L(f )
Pout

A'c cos[ct + ']

1Hz
fc

(a)

N
f

fc + f

(b)

(phase function (t ) : random variable)

Phase Noise Measurement (Span=100KHz)

10
0
-10

-20
-30

-40
-50

(dB )

f 1Hz
L (f ) =

N (1Hz - BW )
=
Pout

Offset 10KHz

-60
-70
826.1

826.11 826.12 826.13 826.14 826.15 826.16 826.17 826.18

Frequency (MHz)

820890MHz VCO phase noise

(-95dBc/Hz@10KHz) .
2006

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-6
*
( 5KHz ) flicker effect
1/f
(thermal noise) shot
noise

S(fm) (rad2/Hz bandwidth)

f0 fm
Q (quality factor)
f0/2Q fc f0/2Q
Q (loaded Q)
fc 1/f
L()

9dB/octave

6dB/octave

1/f 3

0dB/octave

1/f 2
fc

fm(Hz)

f0 /2Q

1 FkT

10 log
2 Ps

additive noise
1/f plus
additive
noise

1/ f 3

Eq(4.12)

log()

Leesons

1 FkT
L() = 10 log
2 Ps

o
2Q

o
2Q

(*)

(*)
VCO
VCO(frequency offset)(*)
2
VCO3

1 FkT 2 3

1/ f
o
L() = 10 log
1 +
1 +

2 Ps 2Q

2006

: Leesons model

(**)

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-7
* A. Hajimiri and T.H. Lee,Oscillator phase noise: a tutorial, IEEE J. of
Solid-State Circuits, vol.32, No. 3, pp. 326 -336, March 2000.
1/f noiseVCOVCO

(phase modulation)VCO

i(t)
i(t)

Vout

(t )

L-C

1/f noise

co

o
c1

2o
c2

3o

c3

SV ()

White noise

S ()

in2
()
f

Vout

PM

2006

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-8

or

(phase-locked oscillator: PLO)(LO)

(Rx)(Tx)
(a)(b)

(a)

Usually from digital clock

leakage in FS circuit

(b)

()

Signal Band
(RF)

LO

c
Downconverted
Signal Band(IF)

s c

()
2006

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-9

(a)
(wanted signal)
(unwanted signal) ()
LO(overlapping spectra)

Unwanted
Signal

Wanted
Signal

LO

Downconverted
Signal Band(IF)

s c
(b)

2 1
2 1
2 1 (corrupted)
Nearby
Transmitter

Wanted
Signal

1
2006

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

9-10

Effect of Phase Noise on Receiver Performance

* The phase-noise level required to achieve an adjacent channel rejection (or

selectivity) of S dB :

2006

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

600KHz

RF = -99dBm

Blocker = -43dBm

Blocker

* Dr. Jenshan Lin, Lucent

LO

600KHz
2006

RF

x dBc/Hz

x dBc/Hz
< -108 + 43 - 53
= -118 dBc/Hz

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

-43 dBm + Gain + x dBc/Hz

+ 10 log(200kHz)
< -108dBm + Gain

IF = -99dBm + Gain

LO - Blocker = -43 dBm + Gain

Blocking Characteristics VCO Phase Noise

9-11

600KHz
2006

RF = -82dBm

Interference = -33dBm

RF

LO

600KHz

Interference

x dBc/Hz

x dBc/Hz
< -91 + 33 - 53
= -111 dBc/Hz

H.-R. Chuang, EE NCKU

-33 dBm + Gain + x dBc/Hz

+ 10 log(200kHz)
< -82dBm + Gain - 9dB

IF = -82dBm + Gain

-33 dBm + Gain

In GSM 05.05 6.3, adjacent channel interference also affect VCO phase

Reference Interference Level VCO Phase Noise

9-12