A 110–132GHz VCO with 1.5dBm peak output power and 18.2% tuning range in 130nm SiGe BiCMOS for D-Band transmitters

Abstract

This paper presents the design and measurement results of a mm-wave voltage controlled oscillator in 130nm SiGe BiCMOS technology for application in D-Band transmitters. The VCO is designed using two oscillators operating at fo=60 GHz and arranged in a push-push configuration, to provide a D-Band output. The wide tuning range is achieved by employing a hyper-abrupt junction varactor. The VCO delivers a peak output power of 1.44dBm at 127GHz to a 50Ω load with a tuning range of 18.2% centered at 121GHz. The chip consumes 42mW of DC power from a 1.5V supply and hence achieves a peak DC-to-RF efficiency of 3.3%.