Compact and low phase noise LC‐VCO design using novel V‐shaped inductor in 0.18‐μm CMOS technology for Ku‐band applications

Abstract

Summary An innovative, high‐quality factor, and small‐area V‐shaped inductor is presented in this article to improve the performance of voltage‐controlled oscillators (VCOs). The differential inductance of the suggested V‐shaped inductor in the resonator and the buffer is 280 pH and 630 pH, respectively. The inductor area is compacted by 42% and 76% compared to the conventional inductor with the same inductance value. Using 0.18‐ CMOS technology, the proposed V‐shaped inductor is employed to design a compact VCO operating at Ku‐band. The proposed VCO has a simulated phase noise range of −114 to −114.6 dBc/Hz, which is relatively constant. Also, its simulated frequency tuning range (FTR) is 5.6 % from 14.03 to 14.74 GHz. The power consumption is 2.2 mW. The simulated figure of merit (FoM) ranges from −193.5 to −194.2 dBc/Hz, which is enhanced by 6%. The designed VCO core area is 0.034 mm 2 , which is compacted by 35% compared to using a conventional spiral inductor. The achieved area‐included figure of merit ( ) is −208.7 dBc/Hz. The VCO has an output power of −6.8 dBm and a good harmonic suppression of 29.4 dB between the fundamental and the second harmonic.