Nonlinear analysis of the Colpitts oscillator and applications to design

This paper reports a methodological approach to the analysis and design of sinusoidal oscillators based on bifurcation analysis. The simple Colpitts oscillator is taken as an example to demonstrate this nonlinear approach for both the nearly sinusoidal and chaotic modes of operation. In particular, it is shown how regular and irregular (chaotic) oscillations can be generated, depending on the circuit parameters.