A 55 nm CMOS △∑fractional-N frequency synthesizer for WLAN transceivers with low noise filters

A fully integrated ΔΣ fractional-N frequency synthesizer fabricated in a 55 nm CMOS technology is presented for the application of IEEE 802.11b/g wireless local area network(WLAN) transceivers.A low noise filter,occupying a small die area,whose power supply is given by a high PSRR and low noise LDO regulator,is integrated on chip.The proposed synthesizer needs no off-chip components and occupies an area of 0.72 mm2 excluding PAD.Measurement results show that in all channels,the phase noise of the synthesizer achieves -99 dBc/Hz and -119 dBc/Hz in band and out of band respectively with a reference frequency of 40 MHz and a loop bandwidth of 200 kHz.The integrated RMS phase error is no more than 0.6°.The proposed synthesizer consumes a total power of 15.6 mW.     

A 0.13μm CMOS Δ ∑ fractional-N frequency synthesizer for WLAN transceivers

A fractional-N frequency synthesizer fabricated in a 0.13μm CMOS technology is presented for the application of IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless local area network(WLAN) transceivers.A monolithic LC voltage controlled oscillator(VCO) is implemented with an on-chip symmetric inductor.The fractional-TV frequency divider consists of a pulse swallow frequency divider and a 3rd-order multistage noise shaping(MASH)△Σmodulator with noise-shaped dithering techniques.Measurement results show that in all channels,phase noise of the synthesizer achieves -93 dBc/Hz and -118 dBc/Hz in band and out of band respectively with a phase-frequency detector (PFD) frequency of 20 MHz and a loop bandwidth of 100 kHz.The integrated RMS phase error is no more than 0.8°.The proposed synthesizer consumes 8.4 mW from a 1.2 V supply and occupies an area of 0.86 mm~2.     

具有自动频率校准的宽频率范围Σ-Δ小数频率综合器

A wide range fractional-N frequency synthesizer in 0.18μm RF CMOS technology is implemented. A switched-capacitors bank LC-tank VCO and an adaptive frequency calibration technique are used to expand the frequency range.A 16-bit third-order sigma-delta modulator with dither is used to randomize the fractional spur. The active area is 0.6 mm~2.The experimental results show the proposed frequency synthesizer consumes 4.3 raA from a single 1.8 V supply voltage except for buffers.The frequency range is 1.44-2.11 GHz and the frequency resolution is less than 0.4 kHz.The phase noise is -94 dBc/Hz @ 100 kHz and -121 dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz at the output of the prescaler with a loop bandwidth of approximately 120 kHz.The performance meets the requirements for the multi-band and multi-mode transceiver applications.     

一种应用于频率综合器的全差分电荷泵的设计与噪声分析

A fully-differential charge pump（FDCP）with perfect current matching and low output current noise is realized for phase-locked loops（PLLs）.An easily stable common-mode feedback（CMFB）circuit which can handle high input voltage swing is proposed.Current mismatch and current noise contribution from the CMFB circuit is minimized.In order to optimize PLL phase noise,the output current noise of the FDCP is analyzed in detail and calculated with the sampling principle.The calculation result agrees well with the simulation.Based on the noise analysis,many methods to lower output current noise of the FDCP are discussed.The fully-differential charge pump is integrated into a 1–2 GHz frequency synthesizer and fabricated in an SMIC CMOS 0.18μm process.The measured output reference spur is–64 dBc to–69 dBc.The in-band and out-band phase noise is–95 dBc/Hz at 3 kHz frequency offset and–123 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset respectively.     

具有自校准压控振荡器和精确自动频率校准算法的低噪声频率合成器

A low noise phase locked loop （PLL） frequency synthesizer implemented in 65 nm CMOS technology is introduced. A VCO noise reduction method suited for short channel design is proposed to minimize PLL output phase noise. A self-calibrated voltage controlled oscillator is proposed in cooperation with the automatic frequency calibration circuit, whose accurate binary search algorithm helps reduce the VCO tuning curve coverage, which reduces the VCO noise contribution at PLL output phase noise. A low noise, charge pump is also introduced to extend the tuning voltage range of the proposed VCO, which further reduces its phase noise contribution. The frequency synthesizer generates 9.75-11.5 GHz high frequency wide band local oscillator （LO） carriers. Tested 11.5 GHz LO bears a phase noise of-104 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset. The total power dissipation of the proposed frequency synthesizer is 48 mW. The area of the proposed frequency synthesizer is 0.3 mm^2, including bias circuits and buffers.     

A constant loop bandwidth fractional-N frequency synthesizer for GNSS receivers

正A constant loop bandwidth fractional-TV frequency synthesizer for portable civilian global navigation satellite system(GNSS) receivers implemented in a 130 nm 1P6M CMOS process is introduced.Via discrete working regions,the LC-VCO obtains a wide tuning range with a simple structure and small VCO gain.Spur suppression technology is proposed to minimize the phase offset introduced by PFD and charge pumps.The optimized bandwidth is maintained by an auto loop calibration module to adjust the charge pump current when the PLL output frequency changes or the temperature varies.Measurement results show that this synthesizer attains an in-band phase noise lower than -93 dBc at a 10 kHz offset and a spur less than -70 dBc;the bandwidth varies by±3%for all the GNSS signals.The whole synthesizer consumes 4.5 mA current from a 1 V supply,and its area(without the LO tested buffer) is 0.5 mm~2.     

A 9.8-mW 1.2-GHz CMOS frequency synthesizer with a low phase-noise LC-VCO and an I/Q frequency divider

A 1.2 GHz frequency synthesizer integrated in a RF receiver for Beidou navigation is implemented in standard 0.18μm CMOS technology.A distributed biased varactor LC voltage-controlled oscillator is employed to achieve low tuning sensitivity and optimized phase noise performance.A high-speed and low-switching-noise divider-by-2 circuit based on a source-coupled logic structure is adopted to generate a quadrature(I/Q) local oscillating signal.A high-speed 8/9 dual-modulus prescaler(DMP),a programmable-delay phase frequency detector without dead-zone problem,and a programmable-current charge pump are also integrated into the frequency synthesizer. The frequency synthesizer demonstrates an output frequency from 1.05 to 1.30 GHz,and the phase noise is-98.53 dBc/Hz at 100-kHz offset and -121.92 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset from the carrier frequency of 1.21 GHz. The power dissipation of the core circuits without the output buffer is 9.8 mW from a 1.8 V power supply.The total area of the receiver is 2.4×1.6 mm~2.     

于混合信号片上系统的低相位噪声锁相环设计

This paper describes the design of a fully integrated low phase noise CMOS phase-locked loop for mixed-signal SoCs with a wide range of operating frequencies. The design proposes a multi-regulator PLL architecture, in which every noise-sensitive block from the PLL top level is biased from a dedicated linear or shunt regulator, reducing the parasitic noise and spur coupling between different PLL building blocks. Supply-induced VCO frequency sensitivity of the PLL is less than 0.07%-f_vco/1%-V_DD. The design is fabricated in 0.13 μ m 1.5/3.3 V CMOS technology. The in-band phase noise of –102 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset with a spur of less than –45 dBc is measured from 1.25 GHz carrier. The measured RMS jitter of the proposed PLL is 1.72 ps at a 1.25 GHz operating frequency. The total power consumption is 19 mW, and its active area is 0.19 mm².     

一款便携式移动应用的低成本超高频无源射频识别读写器收发机芯片设计

A low cost integrated transceiver for mobile UHF passive RFID reader applications is implemented in a 0.18μm CMOS process. The transceiver contains an OOK modulator and a power amplifier in the transmitter chain, an IQ direct-down converter, variable-gain amplifiers, channel-select filters and a 10-bit ADC in the receiver chain. The measured output PldB power of the transmitter is 17.6 dBm and the measured receiver sensitivity is -70 dBm. The on-chip integer N synthesizer achieves a frequency resolution of 200 kHz with a phase noise of -104 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz frequency offset and -120.83 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset. The transmitter, the receiver and the frequency synthesizer consume 201.34, 25.3 and 54 mW, respectively. The chip has a die area of 4 × 2.5 mm^2 including pads.     

A 3 to 5 GHz low-phase-noise fractional-N frequency synthesizer with adaptive frequency calibration for GSM/PCS/DCS/WCDMA transceivers

正A low-phase-noise S-A fractional-TV frequency synthesizer for GSM/PCS/DCS/WCDMA transceivers is presented.The voltage controlled oscillator is designed with a modified digital controlled capacitor array to extend the tuning range and minimize phase noise.A high-resolution adaptive frequency calibration technique is introduced to automatically choose frequency bands and increase phase-noise immunity.A prototype is implemented in 0.13μm CMOS technology.The experimental results show that the designed 1.2 V wideband frequency synthesizer is locked from 3.05 to 5.17 GHz within 30μs,which covers all five required frequency bands.The measured in-band phase noise are -89,-95.5 and -101 dBc/Hz for 3.8 GHz,2 GHz and 948 MHz carriers,respectively, and accordingly the out-of-band phase noise are -121,-123 and -132 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset,which meet the phase-noise-mask requirements of the above-mentioned standards.     

A 8.75-11.2-GHz,low phase noise fractional-N synthesizer for 802.11a/b/g zero-IF transceiver

An ultra broadband fractional-N frequency synthesizer for 802.11a/b/g zero-IF transceiver application is presented.The mathematical models for the behavior of the synthesizer’s spur and phase noise are analyzed,and the optimization methodology is proposed.Measurement results exhibits that the frequency synthesizer’s integrated phase noise is less than 1°(1 kHz to 100 MHz)with a 4.375 GHz carrier(after divide-by-2),and the reference frequency spur is below-60 dBc operating with a 33 MHz reference clock.The frequency synthesizer is fabricated on a standard 0.13μm RF CMOS process and consumes 39.6 mW from a 1.2 V supply voltage.     

一种应用于GNSS/蜂窝网混合定位接收机的多标准频率合成器

A fully integrated hybrid integer/fractional frequency synthesizer is presented.With a single multiband voltage-controlled-oscillator(VCO),the frequency synthesizer can support GPS,Galileo,Compass and TDSCDMA standards.Design is carefully performed to trade off power,die area and phase noise performance.By reconfiguring between the integer mode and fractional mode,different frequency resolution requirements and a constant loop bandwidth for each standard can be achieved simultaneously.Moreover,a long sequence length,reduced hardware complexity multi-stage-noise-shaping(MASH).-.modulator is employed to reduce fractional spur in the fractional mode.Fabricated in a 0.18 m CMOS technology,the frequency synthesizer occupies an active area of 1.48 mm2 and draws a current of 13.4-16.2 mA from a 1.8 V power supply.The measured phase noise is lower than-80 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset and-113 to-124 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset respectively,while the measured reference spur is-71 dBc in integer mode and the fractional spur is-65 dBc in fractional mode.     

Low power fast settling multi-standard current reusing CMOS fractional-N frequency synthesizer

正A low power fast settling multi-standard CMOS fractional-N frequency synthesizer is proposed.The current reusing and frequency presetting techniques are adopted to realize the low power fast settling multi-standard fractional-N frequency synthesizer.An auxiliary non-volatile memory(NVM) is embedded to avoid the repetitive calibration process and to save power in practical application.This PLL is implemented in a 0.18μm technology. The frequency range is 0.3 to 2.54 GHz and the settling time is less than 5μs over the entire frequency range.The LC-VCO with the stacked divide-by-2 has a good figure of merit of-193.5 dBc/Hz.The measured phase noise of frequency synthesizer is about-115 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset when the carrier frequency is 2.4 GHz and the reference spurs are less than -52 dBc.The whole frequency synthesizer consumes only 4.35 mA @ 1.8 V.     

一种应用于GNSS接收机的低噪声和低杂散频率综合器

A low phase noise and low spur phase locked loop （PLL） frequency synthesizer for use in global navigation satellite system （GNSS） receivers is proposed. To get a low spur, the symmetrical structure of the phase frequency detector （PFD） produces four control signals, which can reach the charge pump （CP） simultaneously, and an improved CP is realized to minimize the charge sharing and the charge injection and make the current matched. Additionally, the delay is controllable owing to the programmable PFD, so the dead zone of the CP can be eliminated. The output frequency of the VCO can be adjusted continuously and precisely by using a programmable LC-TANK. The phase noise of the VCO is lowered by using appropriate MOS sizes. The proposed PLL frequency synthesizer is fabricated in a 0.18 μm mixed-signal CMOS process. The measured phase noise at 1 MHz offset from the center frequency is -127.65 dBc/Hz and the reference spur is -73.58 dBc.     

一种应用于CMMB的双频段低噪声频率合成器

A wide-band frequency synthesizer with low phase noise is presented. The frequency tuning range is from 474 to 858 MHz which is compatible with U-band CMMB application while the S-band frequency is also included. Three VCOs with selectable sub-band are integrated on chip to cover the target frequency range. This PLL is fabricated with 0.35 μ m SiGe BiCMOS technology. The measured result shows that the RMS phase error is less than 1^o and the reference spur is less than –60 dBc. The proposed PLL consumes 20 mA current from a 2.8 V supply. The silicon area occupied without PADs is 1.17 mm².     

一种适用于“模一”多带OFDM超宽带系统中跳频产生的3.96GHz锁相环

A fully integrated phase-locked loop（PLL） is presented for a single quadrature output frequency of 3.96 GHz.The proposed PLL can be applied to mode-1 MB-OFDM UWB hopping carrier generation.An adaptive frequency calibration loop is incorporated into the PLL.The capacitance area in the loop filter is largely reduced through a capacitor multiplier.Implemented in a CMOS process, this PLL draws 13.0 mA current from a single 1.2 V supply while occupying 0.55 mm2 die area.Measurement results show that the PLL achieves a phase noise of-70 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset and-113 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset.The integrated RMS jitter from 1 kHz to 10 MHz is 2.2 ps.The reference spur level is less than-68 dBc.     

A 5 GHz CMOS frequency synthesizer with novel phase-switching prescaler and high-Q LC-VCO

A phase-locked loop(PLL) frequency synthesizer with a novel phase-switching prescaler and a high-Q LC voltage controlled oscillator(VCO) is presented.The phase-switching prescaler with a novel modulus control mechanism is much more robust on process variations.The Q factor of the inductor,I-MOS capacitors and varactors in the VCO are optimized.The proposed frequency synthesizer was fabricated by SMIC 0.13μm 1P8M MMRF CMOS technology with a chip area of 1150×2500μm~2.When locking at 5 GHz,the current consumption is 15 mA from a supply voltage of 1.2 V and the measured phase noise at a 1 MHz offset is -122.45 dBc/Hz.     

一种用于短距离无线通信并集成频率合成器的多模式多频带发射机

A reconfigurable multi-mode direct-conversion transmitter(TX) with integrated frequency synthesizer(FS) is presented. The TX as well as the FS is designed with a flexible architecture and frequency plan, which helps to support all the 433/868/915 MHz ISM band signals, with the reconfigurable bandwidth from 250 kHz to 2 MHz. In order to save power and chip area, only one 1.8 GHz VCO is adopted to cover the whole frequency range. All the operation modes can be regulated in real time by configuring the integrated register-bank through an SPI interface. Implemented in 180 nm CMOS, the FS achieves a frequency coverage of 320-460 MHz and 620- 920 MHz. The lowest phase noise can be -107 dBc/Hz at a 100 kHz offset and -126 dBc/Hz at a 1 MHz offset. The transmitter features a C10:2 dBm peak output power with a C9:5 dBm 1-dB-compression point and 250 kHz/500 kHz/1 MHz/2 MHz reconfigurable signal bandwidth.     

A low reference spur quadrature phase-locked loop for UWB systems

This paper presents a low phase noise and low reference spur quadrature phase-locked loop(QPLL) circuit that is implemented as a part of a frequency synthesizer for China UWB standard systems.A glitch-suppressed charge pump(CP) is employed for reference spur reduction.By forcing the phase frequency detector and CP to operate in a linear region of its transfer function,the linearity of the QPLL is further improved.With the proposed series-quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator,the phase accuracy of the QPLL is guaranteed.The circuit is fabricated in the TSMC 0.13μm CMOS process and operated at 1.2-V supply voltage.The QPLL measures a phase noise of -95 dBc/Hz at 100-kHz offset and a reference spur of -71 dBc.The fully-integrated QPLL dissipates a current of 13 mA.     

A Class-C VCO Based Σ-Δ Fraction-N Frequency Synthesizer with AFC for 802.11ah Applications

A 1.4-2 GHz phase-locked loop (PLL) Σ-Δ fraction-N frequency synthesizer with automatic frequency control (AFC) for 802.11ah applications is presented. A class-C voltage control oscillator (VCO) ranging from 1.4 to 2 GHz is integrated on-chip to save power for the sub-GHz band. A novel AFC algorithm is introduced to maintain the VCO oscillation at the start-up and automatically search for the appropriate control word of the switched-capacitor array to extend the PLL tuning range. A 20-bit third-order Σ-Δ modulator is utilized to reduce the fraction spurs while achieving a frequency resolution that is lower than 30 Hz. The measurement results show that the frequency synthesizer has achieved a phase noise of < -120 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset and consumes 11.1 mW from a 1.7 V supply. Moreover, compared with the traditional class-A counterparts, the phase noise in class-C mode has been improved by 5 dB under the same power consumption.