A 237 ppm/°C L-Band Active Inductance Based Voltage Controlled Oscillator in SOI 0.18 µm

Abstract

Multi-frequency receivers have become a standard for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) applications. In smart vehicle applications, multi-frequency receivers need to work reliably in a large temperature variation. Even though literature has presented solutions for frequency stability over temperature, they usually rely on external control circuits or non-silicon solutions such as wide-bandgap materials or MEMS resonators, leading to higher production costs. This work proposes a temperature-aware design of an active-inductor-based, MOSFET only, voltage-controlled oscillator suitable for the L-Band. The temperature analysis is made based on a gm/ID methodology for the transistor biasing and MOSFET capacitors. Those analyses are validated from simulation models (-40 °C to 175 °C) and transistor measurements up to 200 °C. Monte-Carlo post-layout simulations present a mean first-order temperature coefficient of 237 ppm/°C and cover the entire L-Band.