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W-band CMOS direct injection-locked frequency divider with 23.5-GHz locking range using distributed LC network and power matching and body bias techniques

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Abstract

A low power and wide locking-range W-band (75–110 GHz) divide-by-2 direct injection-locked frequency-divider (DILFD) using standard 90 nm CMOS technology is reported. To enhance the operation frequency, distributed LC network is used as the load of the crossed-coupled transistors. To improve the input sensitivity, a power matching network is included at the injection terminal of the switch transistor. In addition, to enhance the frequency locking range, body bias technique (i.e. a body resistor in conjunction with a zero body-source bias) is adopted in the switch transistor to reduce its threshold voltage. The result shows that a wide locking-range of 23.5 GHz [from 69.5 to 93 GHz (28.9%)], covering the 77–81-GHz-band for short range automotive radar system and 81–86-GHz-band for high-speed point-to-point wireless communication access system, was achieved. The DILFD can be operated at a low input power of − 35 dBm, one of the best input sensitivity ever reported for a W-band CMOS divider. The power consumption of the DILFD was only 3 mW from a 0.7 V power supply. The chip area was only 0.76 × 0.66 mm2 excluding the test pads.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the R.O.C. under Contracts MOST103-2221-E-260-027-MY3 and MOST105-2221-E-260-025-MY3. The authors are very grateful for the supports from the National Chip Implementation Center (CIC), Taiwan, for chip fabrication, and National Nano-Device Laboratory (NDL), Taiwan, for measurements.

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  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chi Nan University, Puli, Taiwan, ROC

    Yo-Sheng Lin, Kai-Siang Lan & Hsin-Chen Lin

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  1. Yo-Sheng Lin
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Lin, YS., Lan, KS. & Lin, HC. W-band CMOS direct injection-locked frequency divider with 23.5-GHz locking range using distributed LC network and power matching and body bias techniques. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 99, 707–721 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-019-01427-9

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