A -94 dBc/Hz@100 kHz, fully-integrated, 5-GHz, CMOS VCO with 18% tuning range for Bluetooth applications

A 5-GHz, fully monolithic voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) for Bluetooth wireless transceivers is demonstrated in a 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS technology using accumulation mode varactors and spiral inductors. An 18% tuning range was measured for only 2.5 V tuning-voltage variation. The phase noise was -94 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz frequency offset with 40 kHz 1/f/sup 3/ corner frequency. These low values are limited by the up-conversion of flicker noise due to varactor amplitude-to-frequency conversion and to the modulation of the varactor bias point. This explanation is verified by simulations and measurements. The circuit draws 5.5 mA from a 2.5 V power supply.

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