118GHz fundamental VCO with 7.8% tuning range in 65nm CMOS

Abstract

This paper presents a 118GHz fundamental voltage controlled oscillator in a 65nm low power CMOS technology. Using accumulation mode varactors, the oscillator covers a frequency range from 113.4GHz to 122.6GHz, which corresponds to a 7.8% tuning range. This is the widest tuning range in a D-band VCO reported to date. Combined with a variable supply voltage, the tuning range is extended to 11GHz (9.3%). The VCO draws 5.6mA from a 1V supply and the output is higher than −28.5 dBm. The measured phase noise at 118.3GHz is −83.9dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset. The FOMT is −175.7dB, which is the highest reported for a D-band VCO.