OSCILLATORS

Fundamentals. Linear Aspects: Oscillation conditions.

o

xs

Amplifier A
Frequency Selective Network

xo

xf
Af =

xo A A(s) = = x s 1 A 1 (s) A(s)

D(s) = 1 (s) A (s) = 1 L(s)

L ( j o ) = A ( j o ) ( j o ) = 1

Barkhausen Criteria

Note that for the circuit to oscillate at one frequency the oscillation criterion should be satisfied at one frequency only; otherwise the resulting waveform will not be a simple sinusoid.

Ring Oscillators
The main difficulty for using submicron CMOS ring oscillators in wireless communication systems is their relatively poor phase noise response. Precaution is required to achieve as low phase noise as possible from CMOS ring oscillators. Dominant noise sources in IC environment are common-mode signals in nature (e.g. power supply noise, substrate-coupled noise). Fully differential design is a must!

Courtesy of Fikret Dulger

Ring Oscillators
H(j) + H(j) + H(j) + -

+
180 (a) VDD RD Vout M1 CL

+
360 (b)

+
0 (c) VDD

Various views of oscillatory feedback system.

RD E M1 CL F

RD Vout M2 CL

One-pole feedback VDD RD E M1 CL F M2 CL RD Ideal -1 Vout

Two-pole feedback system

Two-pole feedback system plus an inverter

VDD RD E M1 CL F M2 CL RD G M3 CL RD Vout

Three-stage ring oscillator

H (s ) =

3 A0

s 1 + 0
3 0

osc = 3 0

tan 1

osc = 60o o
3 A0

A 3 (1 + s 0 )3 = Vout (s ) A0 = 3 A0 Vin (s ) (1 + s 0 )3 + A03 1+ (1 + s 0 )3

2 osc 1+ 0

=1

A0 = 2

Single ended Inverters (delay elements)

VDD M6

VDD M4 ID4 M3 M2 ID4

VDD

VDD

Osc out

VinVCO

M5

M1

Current starved VCO. VDD M6 M9 VDD M4 M3 R VinVCO M5 M7 M8 M2 M1 First stage of VCO

Modifications to the current-starved VCO to set minimum and maximum frequencies.

(a) + - + X1 + - + X2 + - + (b) (a) Five-stage single-ended ring oscillator, (b) four-stage differential ring oscillator VDD R1 X M1 R1 Y M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 R1 R1 R1 R1 X3 + - + X4

Y1

Y2

Y3

Y4

ISS VX VY VDD

ISS

ISS

VDD + R1 ISS

Fully-Differential Ring Oscillator

Vo1 (in phase)

Vo2 (quadrature)

One potential delay element

Vdd

Vbias

Vbias

Vout

Vin-

Vin+

frequency control

Ib

Replica Biasing needed for the Delay Elements

Vdd Vref Vbias
( off-chip ) ( to delay elements )

Vdd

frequency control

Ib

Frequency Control
Frequency of oscillation, ( fosc ), is controlled through the bias current of a delay element ( Ib ). Maximum peak-to-peak voltage, ( Vpp ), is controlled through the replica biasing. Total output capacitance of a delay element, ( Cout ), directly affects the frequency of oscillation.

f osc

Ib V pp .Cout

Chip Photomicrograph

Test Results

Coupled Multivibrators
M3 Output M1

VDD M4 Output C ID M5 M2 ID M6 M3 Output M1

VDD M4 Output C M2

VinVCO

VinVCO

M5 b) CMOS

M6

a) NMOS

Source coupled voltage-controlled oscillators (also known as source coupled multivibrators). M2 on M1 off Output M1 (off) X ID C ID M2 (on) Y ID X Y M1 on M2 off M2 on M1 off M1 on M2 off

VDD-VTHN VDD-2VTHN VDD-VTHN VDD-3VTHN VDD-2VTHN

Simplified schematic of source coupled oscillator, M1 is on and M2 is off.

time

Voltage waveforms for the NMOS source coupled VCO.