13 GHz CMOS Active Inductor LC VCO

A 13 GHz active inductor LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) has been realized in 90 nm CMOS technology by ST-Microelectronics. The VCO consists of two complementary cross-coupled pairs, an active LC tank implemented by means of a differential high-Q low-noise active inductor and two p-MOSFET varicaps, and an output buffer stage. The measurements show a phase noise of -105.25 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset. The current consumption of the VCO core and differential boot-strapped inductor amount to 0.7 and 1.8 mA, respectively, from a 1.2 V supply voltage.