A low-power 4.6 GHz VCO for Chip-Scale Atomic Clocks

In this paper, we report on the development of a microwave VCO, optimized for Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) applications. The VCO combines a tunable LC oscillator and a variable-gain output driver on a single integrated circuit. Compared to a conventional LC VCO and passive attenuation network, this work consumes 67% less power and occupies 90% less area on the printed circuit board than the components it replaces, with improved overall CSAC system performance.