On the design of low power MCML based ring oscillators

In this paper, a closed form expression for the oscillation frequency of MOS current mode logic (MCML) based ring oscillators is derived. The cycle to cycle jitter of MCML ring oscillators is also discussed. Based on the derived expression and the subsequent discussion, a design approach for MCML ring oscillators is devised that leads to minimum power dissipation of the oscillator designed for a given oscillation frequency and jitter.