A 9.3-GHz-tuning-range, 58-GHz CMOS direct injection-locked frequency divider using input-power-matching technique

A 58-GHz (V-band) CMOS direct injection-locked frequency-divider (DILFD) using input-power-matching technique for locking-range enhancement is reported for the first time. In an input-power-matching technique, an inductive input-matching-network is added to the gate of the NMOS switch to optimize the input-power-matching, i.e. to maximize the internal power, over the frequency band of interest. This DILFD architecture also features a very low input capacitance; therefore, high operating frequency of 58.2 GHz can be achieved. The DILFD dissipated 8.45 mW power from a 1.3 V power supply, and achieved a total locking range of 9.3 GHz (48.9–58.2 GHz; 17.4%), which is 400% higher than that (1.86 GHz (3%)) of a traditional DILFD without the input-matching-network for comparison. The chip area was only 0.585×0.492 mm² excluding the test pads.