A low-power injection-locked frequency tripler

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of integrated circuits of radiofrequency frequency synthesizers, and particularly relates to a low power consumption injection locked frequency tripler. A circuit comprises a harmonic wave generator and an injection locked oscillator. The harmonic wave generator is formed by a pair of NMOS tubes and is arranged in a weak inversion area in a bias mode, and triple frequency harmonic signals 3f0 with the maximum efficiency are generated by inputting fundamental frequency signals f0. The injection locked oscillator is composed of a pair of cross-coupled transistors, an inductor, a variable capacitor, a digital control capacitor array and an adjustable current source, and the working frequency of the injection locked oscillator is near the 3f0. In a free oscillation mode, the grid electrodes of the NMOS tubes have no input signals, bias currents of the injection locked oscillator are supplied by the adjustable current source, and self-oscillation frequency is output; in an injection locked mode, the grid electrodes of the NMOS tubes have fundamental frequency signals with frequency near the f0, an injection locked frequency tripler circuit is made to be locked at the frequency 3 f0, and the power consumption of the direct currents at the moment is extremely low. The power source voltages of the circuit are 0.8V, and the power consumption of the direct currents is only 0.16mW.

Description

technical field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of integrated circuits, and in particular relates to a low-power injection locked frequency tripler (Injection locked frequency tripler) applied to a radio frequency synthesizer. Background technique

[0002] In today's society, information technology is developing rapidly. With the development of wireless communication technology, the demand for high-speed communication is increasing. However, unlike the low-frequency case, designing a high-frequency receiver presents many challenges, one of which is the design of the frequency synthesizer and its important component, the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). Usually a mmWave VCO should be at or close to the similar performance of a low frequency VCO, including lower phase noise, low power consumption, moderate output power, proper regulation range and a relatively low VCO gain (for tuning Capacitance sensitive), in order to make it less restrictive to the...

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0019] Describe below in conjunction with accompanying drawing:

[0020] Such as figure 1 As shown, the traditional injection-locked tripler circuit consists of L1 and C1 to form a resonant cavity, and cross-coupling tubes M3 and M4 provide negative resistance to maintain oscillation. The signal is input to the gates of the injection transistors M1 and M2 through the off-chip balun, and the third harmonic generated by the transistors M1 and M2 is injected into the resonant cavity through the sources of M3 and M4. At the same time, the transistors M1 and M2 also provide a DC bias for the circuit, so that the entire circuit can start to oscillate normally. figure 2 The efficiency of third harmonic current generation for transistors M1 and M2 as a function of conduction angle. Obviously, in order to obtain a larger third harmonic current and a larger locking range, transistors M1 and M2 should be biased in the weak inversion region ( conduction angle 50~100 degrees). However...

technical field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of integrated circuits, and in particular relates to a low-power injection locked frequency tripler (Injection locked frequency tripler) applied to a radio frequency synthesizer. Background technique

[0002] In today's society, information technology is developing rapidly. With the development of wireless communication technology, the demand for high-speed communication is increasing. However, unlike the low-frequency case, designing a high-frequency receiver presents many challenges, one of which is the design of the frequency synthesizer and its important component, the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). Usually a mmWave VCO should be at or close to the similar performance of a low frequency VCO, including lower phase noise, low power consumption, moderate output power, proper regulation range and a relatively low VCO gain (for tuning Capacitance sensitive), in order to make it less restrictive to the...

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0019] Describe below in conjunction with accompanying drawing:

[0020] Such as figure 1 As shown, the traditional injection-locked tripler circuit consists of L1 and C1 to form a resonant cavity, and cross-coupling tubes M3 and M4 provide negative resistance to maintain oscillation. The signal is input to the gates of the injection transistors M1 and M2 through the off-chip balun, and the third harmonic generated by the transistors M1 and M2 is injected into the resonant cavity through the sources of M3 and M4. At the same time, the transistors M1 and M2 also provide a DC bias for the circuit, so that the entire circuit can start to oscillate normally. figure 2 The efficiency of third harmonic current generation for transistors M1 and M2 as a function of conduction angle. Obviously, in order to obtain a larger third harmonic current and a larger locking range, transistors M1 and M2 should be biased in the weak inversion region ( conduction angle 50~100 degrees). However...

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