Magnetic-Tuning Millimeter-Wave CMOS Oscillators (Invited Paper)

This paper demonstrates that magnetic tuning can be employed either as coarse tuning or fine tuning or both for mm-Wave fundamental oscillators to achieve ultra-wide frequency tuning range and low phase noise. Firstly, a multimode VCO with a tuning range of 41.1% from 57.5 GHz to 90.1 GHz with phase noise of -111.8 dBc/Hz at 10-MHz offset and FoM
_T
of -192.2 d Bc/Hz is discussed. Secondly, a dual-band varactor-less DB-VCO with 14.3% tuning range from 95.7 GHz to 110.5 GHz and -106.9 dBc/Hz phase noise at 10-MHz offset is presented together with a quad-band varactor-less QB-VCO achieving a tuning range of 32% from 58.8 GHz to 81.2 GHz and phase noise of -115.8 dBc/Hz at 10-MHz offset and FoM
_T
of 192.4 dBc/Hz. Finally, a 95-GHz DCO provides a tuning range of 27% is demonstrated. It achieves a phase noise of -110 dBc/Hz at 10-MHz offset and FoM
_T
of -186.1 dBc/Hz.