A 14.1 GHz-to-30.5 GHz Dual-mode VCO with Transformer-Switching and Current-Reuse Dynamic Body-Biasing Technique in 55-nm CMOS

A single-core dual-mode voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with wide tuning range and low power consumption is proposed in this paper. Through the integration of current-reuse structure and dynamic body-biasing, the Current-Reuse Dynamic Body-Biasing Technique (CRDBB) consumes much lower power. Additionally, a switchable transformer and 4-bit switched capacitor array are incorporated into the VCO's LC resonator to maximize the tuning range (TR). Implemented in SMIC 55-nm 1P8M CMOS process, the VCO has a core area of 0.063mm². Simulation results show that the frequency ranges from 14.1 to 30.5 GHz, achieving a TR of 73.5% and with power consumption ranging from 6.9 to 11.2 mW from a supply voltage of 1.2 V. The phase noise (PN) at 1 MHz offset is between -113.5 dBc/Hz and -102.1 dBc/Hz, with a figure- of-merit (FOM) ranging from 181.3 dBc to 188.1 dBc/Hz.