Phase Noise and Jitter in CMOS Ring Oscillators

A simple, physically based analysis illustrate the noise processes in CMOS inverter-based and differential ring oscillators. A time-domain jitter calculation method is used to analyze the effects of white noise, while random VCO modulation most straightforwardly accounts for flicker ($1/f$) noise. Analysis shows that in differential ring oscillators, white noise in the differential pairs dominates the jitter and phase noise, whereas the phase noise due to flicker noise arises mainly from the tail current control circuit. This is validated by simulation and measurement. Straightforward expressions for period jitter and phase noise enable manual design of a ring oscillator to specifications, and guide the choice between ring and LC oscillator.