2.4 GHz / 3.5 GHz dual-band wide-tuning-range quadrature VCO using harmonic-injection coupling technique

In this paper, a dual-band wide-tuning-range quadrature VCO (QVCO) using a harmonic-injection coupling technique is proposed. The tuning range of a switched-capacitor and a switched-inductor LC-tank are investigated. Based on the investigation, a switched-inductor tank is employed since it provides a wide tuning range. A harmonic-injection coupling technique, which eliminates the noise sources of coupling transistors, is applied to generate the quadrature outputs. The QVCO is designed for 3.5GHz WiMAX and 2.4 GHz ISM applications. A tuning range of 24.9% and 20.7% are obtained. The measured phase noise is -123.5 dBc/Hz and -125.9 dBc/Hz at a 1MHz offset, respectively. Significant FOMT of -191.7 and -192.4 are achieved.

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