A 56-GHz LC-Tank VCO With 17% tuning range in 65-nm bulk CMOS for wireless HDMI

Abstract

A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with a central frequency of 56 GHz and a 17% tuning range is presented. The oscillation frequency is tuned both by an analog input and by a 3-bit digital control bus using the same type of differential varactors. It achieves a record figure of merit, considering tuning range of 186.8 dBc/Hz and is able to address the full wireless high-definition multimedia interface band . The VCO is implemented in a 65-nm bulk CMOS process and dissipates 15 mW from a 1.2-V supply. Both fixed and parameterized electromagnetic models for inductors, interconnection structures, and transmission lines have been embedded in the classical design flow including layout verification and extraction, resulting in a very high level of simulation accuracy.