Comparison of Various EM Simulators in the Design of a Wideband Microwave VCO

This paper is considered the results of comparing the experimental characteristics of a broadband voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with the analysis results. This microstrip VCO is implemented in hybrid technology and has a tuning octave range from 6 GHz to 12 GHz. The measured characteristics of a prototype VCO were compared with the results of modeling carried out both in AXIEM, Analyst electromagnetic simulation (EM) simulators and in the Microwave Office (MWO) circuit schematic simulation environment. It is shown that the smallest discrepancy between the measurement results and the calculated data (for the output frequency value - not more than 0.1 GHz) is ensured by the use of the AXIEM EM-simulator.