Analysis and Design of a Tetrahedral Oscillator

Analysis and design of a tetrahedral oscillator is presented. Expressions for the startup condition and oscillation frequency are derived. A phase noise analysis of thermal and flicker noise is carried out, using the impulse sensitivity function theory. The noise contribution of each type of transistor is studied, and the dominant and negligible cyclostationary noise sources are identified. There is good agreement among the theory and Spectre simulation. Design guidelines based on the analysis are provided.