High-Speed Serial Interface

Circuits and Systems

Lect. 3 – LC Oscillators

(From Chap. 6 and 7 of Razavi)

 Inductors
- What is an inductor?

- How to make inductors?

N 2A
L
l

- Non-ideality: Series resistance

Rs:
- Finite conductivity
- Skin effect: Surface currents induced by the magnetic field (eddy
current) are concentrated near surface and effectively increases the
resistance. More pronounced in higher frequency.
- Core loss: Dielectric loss
- Radiation loss

- Quality factor for an inductor: Q = L/R (X/R)

- How does Q change with frequency?

 On-Chip Inductors
- How to realize on-chip inductors?

- On-chip inductors are typically lossy and large

- Recently, on-chip inductors are widely used since the required inductance
is becoming smaller and processing technology is getting better
 LC Tank
In s-domain

1 sL
Z ( s )  sL  
sC s 2 LC  1

1
Poles at s   j
LC
j L
In steady-state s  j Z ( j ) 
1   2 LC
L  
Z ( j )  Z ( j )  or -
1   2 LC 2 2
 RLC

Cp = C1 Rs + L1s = RpLps / ( Rp + Lps)

If Q (= L1/Rs) is large

Rp ~ L122/Rs ~ Q2Rs
 RLC
1 RLs s/C
Z ( s )  sL  R  
sC RLCs 2  Ls  R s2 
1
s
1
RC LC
2
1  1  4
    
Poles at RC  RC  LC
s
2
2
 1  4
Two complex conjugate poles if  RC    Under-damping
  LC

1
Magnitude peak and zero phase at  
LC
 RLC

Q-factor: 2 x (Energy Stored / Energy dissipated per cycle)

C
Q= R
L
1
For large Q, 3-dB bandwidth:
LCQ
 LC Oscillator
Oscillation? Assume M1 has no capacitive component

At low frequency

At high frequency

At resonance frequency

Oscillation!

1

LC

gm R p  1
Cross-Coupled LC Oscillator

VS

 Cross-Coupled LC Oscillator
Cross-Coupled LC Oscillator
What initiates oscillation?

What limits oscillation?

Negative Gm Oscillator

How do you make negative

resistance circuit?

Active circuit with negative

resistance in small signal
Negative Resistance Circuits
VX  V1  V2

I X  gm 2V2   gm 1V1
IX I
VX    X
gm 1 gm 2
VX 1 1
Rin   
IX gm 1 gm 2

Negative Gm oscillator

Oscillation frequency?

Oscillation condition?

2
Rp 
gm
 Negative-Gm Oscillator

Differential Negative-Gm Oscillator

1 1
Rin   
gm 1 gm 2

2
2 Rp 
gm

Same configuration as cross-coupled LC oscillator

gm R p  1
 Negative-Gm Oscillator

There many different types of oscillator circuits.

Sometimes your circuit oscillates when you do not want it.

(unwanted feedback)

LC vs ring oscillators?

- LC provides cleaner oscillation (Smaller phase noise)

- RO is easier to implement for CMOS IC

- For very high-frequency applications, LC are used

Voltage-Controlled LC Oscillator

Easiest to tune Cp with varactors

Rp is usually due to parasitic resistance for the inductor

 Varactors
Reverse biased PN junction Accumulation MOS Varactor

Tuning range is limited

Very nonlinear
 Phase Noise
• Ideal oscillator vs Real oscillator
PSD of output voltage

PSD of output voltage

 Phase Noise

PSD of output voltage

– Phase noise represented as single sideband noise (SSN) in

log(dB) scale.
S (  o ,   o )
2
4kT  o 
L( )  10log n (dBc / Hz) ~
Psignal (o ) Pdissipation  2Q 
Design Exercise