A K-band low phase noise and high gain Gm boosted colpitts VCO for 76-81 GHz FMCW radar applications

Abstract

This paper presents a low phase noise and high gain Gm boosted Colpitts Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) that covers a 9.8% continuous tuning range spanning 18.79 to 20.73 GHz. The tank was modified to facilitate the VCO to maintain low phase noise despite having high gain. Designed and implemented in IBM 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS8hp technology, the measured phase noise at 10 MHz offset ranges between -140 to -132.5 dBc/Hz throughout the entire tuning range with a maximum gain of 2 GHz/Volt. The VCO is optimized for a 76 to 81 GHz FMCW radar when cascaded with a frequency multiplier by four. The VCO core consumes 29mA from a 2V regulator.