A $6.5\times7\,\mu$ m2 0.98-to-1.5 mW Nonself-Oscillation-Mode Frequency Divider-by-2 Achieving a Single-Band Untuned Locking Range of 166.6% (4–44 GHz)

The common self-oscillation-mode (SOM) frequency dividers have a high-Q sensitivity curve limiting the locking range (LR). This letter reports a non-SOM (NSOM) frequency divider-by-2. Fabricated in 65-nm CMOS, it occupies a die area of 6.5 × 7 μm
²
, and measures a single-band untuned LR of 166.6% (4-44 GHz), over a small input range <;0.15 Vpp. The key technique is a load-modulated dynamic latch aided by a current-reuse cross-coupled pMOS pair. The achieved figure-of-merit of 26.6 GHz/mW compares favorably with the state-of-the-art.