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A new constant-Q CMOS active inductor with applications to low-noise oscillators

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Abstract

This paper investigates the dependence of the quality factor of CMOS active inductors on the signal swing of the inductors and its impact on the phase noise of LC-tank oscillators employing the active inductors. A new CMOS active inductor with a nearly constant quality factor is proposed. Two 4-GHz LC oscillators with and without constant-Q active inductors have been implemented in UMC-0.13 μm 1.2 V CMOS technology and analyzed using SpectreRF from Cadence with BSIM3V3 device models. Simulation results demonstrate the phase noise of the oscillator with the constant-Q active inductor is −118dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5B 2K3

    A. Tang, F. Yuan & E. Law

Authors
  1. A. Tang
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  2. F. Yuan
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  3. E. Law
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Correspondence to F. Yuan.

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Tang, A., Yuan, F. & Law, E. A new constant-Q CMOS active inductor with applications to low-noise oscillators. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 58, 77–80 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-008-9224-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-008-9224-3

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