Ultra-low-voltage mixer and VCO in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS

Ultra-low-voltage techniques for RF frontend circuits are presented in this paper. Using a standard 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology, a down-conversion mixer and a voltage-controlled oscillator were designed and fabricated for 5-GHz wireless applications. With a 5.2-GHz RF signal, the mixer has a conversion gain of 3 dB, while the VCO exhibits a tuning range of 8.9% and a phase noise of -97 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset. Both circuits operate at a reduced supply voltage of 0.6 V. The power consumptions of the mixer and the VCO are 792 and 696 /spl mu/W, respectively.