Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Low voltage low noise open loop automatic amplitude control for voltage-controlled oscillators

  • Published:
Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents a low voltage low noise open loop automatic amplitude control method for voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO’s). In this method a feedback mechanism keeps the VCO at its optimum amplitude over temperature and process variations and then the loop is broken to avoid noise injection form the control circuitry to the VCO. The loop does not add extra noise to the VCO. Based on the proposed method, a low voltage low noise LC-VCO was designed for a low phase noise application in TSMC 0.18 micron RFCMOS technology. Simulations show considerable improvement in the phase noise with the application of the proposed method.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ham, D., & Hajimiri, A. (2001). Concepts and methods in optimization of integrated LC VCOs. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 36(6), 896–909.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Margarit, M., Tham, J. L., Meyer, R. G., & Deen, M. J. (1999). A low-noise, low power VCO with automatic amplitude control for wireless applications. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 34(6), 761–771.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Rogers, J. W. M., Rahn, D., & Plett, C. (2003). A study of digital and analog automatic-amplitude control circuitry for voltage-controlled oscillators. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 38(2), 352–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bahmani, F., & Sanchez-Sinecio, E. (2006). A stable loss control feedback loop for VCO amplitude tuning. IEEE Transaction on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, 53(12), 2498–2506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Zanchi, A., Samori, C., Levantino, S., & Lacaita, A. L. (2001). A 2-V 2.5-GHz -104-dBc/Hz at 100 KHz fully integrated VCO with wide-band low-noise automatic amplitude control. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 26(4), 611–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Murji, R., & Jamal Deen, M. (2004). A low-power, 10 GHz back-gated tuned voltage controlled oscillator with automatic amplitude and temperature compensation. In IEEE ISCAS, Vol. 4, pp. 421–424.

  7. Troedsson, N., & Sjoland, H. (2002). High performance 1 V 2.4 GHz CMOS VCO. In IEEE Asia-Pacific Conference on ASIC, pp. 185–188.

  8. Hegazi, E., Sjöland, H., & Abidi, A. (2001). A filtering technique to lower LC oscillator phase noise. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 36(12), 1921–1930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Razavi, B. (1996). Design of monolithic phase-locked loops and clock recovery circuits—a tutorial. In B. Razavi (Ed.), Monolithic phase-locked loops and clock recovery circuits: Theory and design (pp. 405–420). New York: IEEE Press.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hajimiri, A., & Lee, T. H. (1998). A general theory of phase noise in electrical oscillators. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 33(2), 179–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Hajimiri, A., & Lee, T. H. (2000). Oscillator phase noise: A tutorial. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 35(3), 326–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Rael, J. J., & Abidi, A. A. (2000). Physical processes of phase noise in differential LC oscillators. In Presented at Custom IC Conf., Orlando, FL, pp. 569–572.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. EE Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Mehdi Kiani, M. Sharif Bakhtiar & Mojtaba Atarodi

Authors
  1. Mehdi Kiani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Sharif Bakhtiar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mojtaba Atarodi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mehdi Kiani.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kiani, M., Sharif Bakhtiar, M. & Atarodi, M. Low voltage low noise open loop automatic amplitude control for voltage-controlled oscillators. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 62, 319–325 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-009-9332-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-009-9332-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation