An Integrated Subharmonic Coupled-Oscillator Scheme for a 60-GHz Phased-Array Transmitter

This paper describes the design of an integrated coupled-oscillator array in SiGe for millimeter-wave applications. The design focuses on a scalable radio architecture where multiple dies are tiled to form larger arrays. A 2 times 2 oscillator array for a 60-GHz transmitter is fabricated with integrated power amplifiers and on-chip antennas. To lock between multiple dies, an injection-locking scheme appropriate for wire-bond interconnects is described. The 2 times 2 array demonstrates a 200 -MHz locking range and 1 times 4 array formed by two adjacent chips has a 60-MHz locking range. The phase noise of the coupled oscillators is below -100 dBc/Hz at a 1-MHz offset when locked to an external reference. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the highest frequency demonstration of coupled oscillators fabricated in a conventional silicon integrated-circuit process

[1]  A. Babakhani,et al.  Quadrature Subharmonic Coupled Oscillators for a 60GHz SiGe Scalable Phased Array , 2006, 2006 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest.

[2]  A. Hajimiri,et al.  A Wideband 77-GHz, 17.5-dBm Fully Integrated Power Amplifier in Silicon , 2006, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[3]  Robert A. York,et al.  Phase noise in externally injection-locked oscillator arrays , 1997 .

[4]  B. Razavi.  A 60GHz direct-conversion CMOS receiver , 2005, ISSCC. 2005 IEEE International Digest of Technical Papers. Solid-State Circuits Conference, 2005..

[5]  R.J. Pogorzelski,et al.  A demonstration of the coupled oscillator based agile beam receiver concept , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[6]  Robert A. York,et al.  Oscillator array dynamics with broadband N-port coupling networks , 1994 .

[7]  H. Hashemi,et al.  A 24-GHz SiGe phased-array receiver-LO phase-shifting approach , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[8]  B. Razavi.  A study of injection locking and pulling in oscillators , 2004, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[9]  James F. Buckwalter,et al.  Synchronization design of a coupled phase-locked loop , 2003 .

[10]  I. M. Stephenson,et al.  Injection locking of microwave solid-state oscillators , 1971 .

[11]  Hossein Hashemi,et al.  Integrated Phased Array Systems in Silicon , 2005, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[12]  T. Lee,et al.  Superharmonic injection-locked frequency dividers , 1999, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[13]  A. Hajimiri,et al.  A 24-GHz, +14.5-dBm fully integrated power amplifier in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS , 2005, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[14]  V. Gopinathan,et al.  An injection locking scheme for precision quadrature generation , 2002, Proceedings of the 27th European Solid-State Circuits Conference.

[15]  Ali Hajimiri,et al.  A noise-shifting differential Colpitts VCO , 2002, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[16]  Robert A. York,et al.  A mode locked array of coupled phase locked loops , 1995 .

[17]  Xiang Guan,et al.  A fully integrated 24-GHz eight-element phased-array receiver in silicon , 2004, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[18]  R. Adler,et al.  A Study of Locking Phenomena in Oscillators , 1946, Proceedings of the IRE.

[19]  T. Itoh,et al.  Injection- and phase-locking techniques for beam control [antenna arrays] , 1998 .

[20]  B. Floyd,et al.  60GHz transceiver circuits in SiGe bipolar technology , 2004, 2004 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (IEEE Cat. No.04CH37519).

[21]  F. Svelto,et al.  On the amplitude and phase errors of quadrature LC-tank CMOS oscillators , 2006, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[22]  Robert A. York,et al.  Stability of mode locked states of coupled oscillator arrays , 1995 .

[23]  K. D. Stephan,et al.  Inter-Injection-Locked Oscillators for Power Combining and Phased Arrays , 1986 .

[24]  Robert A. York,et al.  Continuum modeling of the dynamics of externally injection-locked coupled oscillator arrays , 1999 .

[25]  R. C. Compton,et al.  Measurement and modelling of radiative coupling in oscillator arrays , 1993 .

[26]  K. D. Stephan,et al.  Mode stability of radiation-coupled interinjection-locked oscillators for integrated phased arrays , 1988 .