A Wide-Tuning-Range 55 GHz CMOS VCO on 22 nm FD-SOI Technology

Abstract:
This paper presents the design and characterization of a low-power 55GHz oscillator using complementary transistors. It has the highest continuous tuning range in its frequency band reported to date. The tuning range is 27.4% and 30.8% for supply voltages 0.8V and 1:4V, respectively. Its core and buffers consume in average 3mW and 8mW power, respectively, from a supply voltage of 1.2V. The peak DC-to-RF efficiency is about 6% for supply voltages above 1V. The circuit was manufactured on a 22nm FD-SOI CMOS technology, and requires a total silicon area of 0.012mm².