A $300-\mu \mathrm{W}$ K-Band Oscillator with High-Q Open-Stub Capacitor in 55-nm CMOS DDC

Abstract

An ultra-low-power K-band oscillator, which consumes $300 \ {\mu} \mathbf{W}$ from a 0.31-V voltage supply, is implemented using a 55-nm CMOS deeply-depleted-channel (DDC) technology. For the oscillation frequency of 17.9 GHz, the 1-MHz-offset phase noise is −97 dBc/Hz. An unusually wide transmission line is used to build the tank circuit. An open stub composed of such a line turns out to work as a higher-Q capacitor than a standard metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor and contributes to the low-voltage operation.