Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T16:11:17.436Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Analysis of high-order sub-harmonically injection-locked oscillators

Part of: EuMW Special issue 2019

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2020

Silvia Hernández ,
Mabel Pontón Open the ORCID record for Mabel Pontón [Opens in a new window] ,
Sergio Sancho  and
Almudena Suárez
Silvia Hernández
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ingeniería de Comunicaciones, Universidad de Cantabria, Spain
Mabel Pontón*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ingeniería de Comunicaciones, Universidad de Cantabria, Spain
Sergio Sancho
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ingeniería de Comunicaciones, Universidad de Cantabria, Spain
Almudena Suárez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ingeniería de Comunicaciones, Universidad de Cantabria, Spain
*
Author for correspondence: Mabel Pontón, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

High-order sub-harmonically injection-locked oscillators have recently been proposed for low phase-noise frequency generation, with carrier-selection capabilities. Though excellent experimental behavior has been demonstrated, the analysis/simulation of these circuits is demanding, due to the high ratio between the oscillation frequency and the frequency of the input source. This work provides an analysis methodology that covers the main aspects of the circuit behavior, including the detection of the locking bands and the prediction of the phase-noise spectral density. Initially, the oscillator in the presence of a multi-harmonic input source is described with a reduced-order envelope-domain formulation, at the oscillation frequency, based on an oscillator-admittance function extracted from harmonic-balance simulations. This allows deriving an expression for the oscillation phase shift with respect to the input source, and the average of this phase shift is shown to evolve continuously in the distinct synchronization bands obtained when varying a tuning voltage. This property can be used to detect the locking bands in circuit-level envelope-domain simulations, which, as shown here, can be done through different Fourier decompositions and sampling rates. The phase noise of the high-order sub-harmonic injection-locked oscillator under an arbitrary periodic input waveform is investigated in detail. The frequency response to the noise sources is described with a semi-analytical formulation, relying on the oscillator-admittance function in injection-locked conditions. The input noise is derived from the timing jitter of the injection source and the phase-noise response is shown to exhibit a low-pass characteristic, which initially follows the up-converted input noise and then the oscillator own noise sources. A method is proposed to identify the key parameters of the derived phase-noise spectrum from envelope-domain simulations. The various analysis methodologies have been applied to a prototype at 2.7 GHz at the sub-harmonic order N = 30 which has been manufactured and measured.

Keywords

injection lockingoscillatorenvelope transient
Type
Research Paper
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 12 , Special Issue 8: Special Issue EuMW 2019. Part II , October 2020 , pp. 695 - 706
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Jany, C, Siligaris, A, Ferrari, P and Vincent, P (2014) A novel programmable harmonic selection technique based on the pseudo-locking of an oscillator by periodically repeated oscillations train. 44th European Microwave Conference (EuMC), Rome, Italy, pp. 1020–1023.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jany, C, Siligaris, A, Gonzalez-Jimenez, JL, Vincent, P and Ferrari, P (2015) A programmable frequency multiplier-by-29 architecture for millimeter wave applications. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 50, 1669–1679.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jany, C, Siligaris, A, Ferrari, P and Vincent, P (2014) A novel harmonic selection technique based on the injection of a periodically repeated oscillations train into an oscillator. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS2014), Tampa, FL, pp. 1–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jany, C (2014) Conception et étude d'une synthèse de fréquence innovante en technologies CMOS avancées pour les applications en bande de fréquence millimétrique (Ph.D. Thesis). Grenoble University.Google Scholar
Boulmirat, A, Jany, C, Siligaris, A and Jimenez, JLG (2018) Low power locking detector for frequency calibration of multi-frequency injection locked oscillators. 14th Conference on Ph.D. Research in Microelectronics and Electronics (PRIME), Prague, pp. 189–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iskandar, Z, Siligaris, A, Lugo-Alvarez, J, Pistono, E and Ferrari, P (2018) A 270-to-300 GHz LO-path phase shifting architecture for sub-mm-wave phased arrays. 48th European Microwave Conference (EuMC), Madrid, pp. 804–806.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siligaris, A, Iskandar, Z and Guerra, JM (2018) Above 100-GHz low phase noise frequency generation in silicon integrated technologies. European Frequency and Time Forum (EFTF), Turin, pp. 32–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kundert, KS (1999) Introduction to RF simulation and its application. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 34, 1298–1319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kundert, K (1998) Introduction to RF simulation and its application. Proceedings of IEEE Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting, pp. 67–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suárez, A (2009) Analysis and Design of Autonomous Microwave Circuits. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley IEEE Press.Google Scholar
Suárez, A and Quéré, R (2003) Stability Analysis of Nonlinear Microwave Circuits. Boston, MA: Artech House.Google Scholar
Quere, R, Ngoya, E, Camiade, M, Suarez, A, Hessane, M and Obregon, J (1993) Large signal design of broadband monolithic microwave frequency dividers and phase-locked oscillators. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques 41, 1928–1938.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramirez, F, de Cos, ME and Suarez, A (2003) Nonlinear analysis tools for the optimized design of harmonic-injection dividers. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 51, 1752–1762.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernández, S, Pontón, M and Suárez, A (2017) Simulation method for complex multivalued curves in injection-locked oscillators. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 65, 4046–4062.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernández, S, Pontón, M, Sancho, S and Suárez, A (2019) Analysis of high-order sub-harmonically injection-locked oscillators. 49th European Microwave Conference (EuMC), Paris, France, pp. 244–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ngoya, E and Larcheveque, R (1996) Envelop transient analysis: a new method for the transient and steady state analysis of microwave communication circuits and systems. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, San Francisco, CA, USA, vol. 3, pp. 1365–1368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ngoya, E, Rousset, J and Argollo, D (2000) Rigorous RF and microwave oscillator phase noise calculation by the envelope transient technique. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, pp. 90–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedro, JC and Carvalho, NB (2002) Simulation of RF circuits driven by modulated signals without bandwidth constraints. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, Seattle, WA, USA, vol. 3, pp. 2173–2176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carvalho, NB, Pedro, JC, Jang, W and Steer, MB (2006) Nonlinear RF circuits and systems simulation when driven by several modulated signals. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 54, 572–579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cos, E, Suarez, A and Sancho, S (2004) Envelope transient analysis of self-oscillating mixers. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 52, 1090–1100.Google Scholar
Ramirez, F, Ponton, M, Sancho, S and Suarez, A (2008) Phase-noise analysis of injection-locked oscillators and analog frequency dividers. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 56, 393–407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suarez, A, Ramirez, F and Sancho, S (2011) Stability and noise analysis of coupled-oscillator systems. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 59, 1032–1046.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sancho, S, Ponton, M and Suarez, A (2018) Effects of noisy and modulated interferers on the free-running oscillator spectrum. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 66, 1831–1842.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramírez, F, Sancho, S, Pontón, M and Suárez, A (2018) Analysis of chirped oscillators under injection signals. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium – IMS, Philadelphia, PA, pp. 172–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramírez, F, Sancho, S, Pontón, M and Suárez, A (2018) Two-scale envelope-domain analysis of injected chirped oscillators. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 66, 5449–5461.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernández, E, Ramírez, F, Suárez, A and Sancho, S (2013) Stability and phase-noise analysis of pulsed injection-locked oscillators. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 61, 482–491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guckenheimer, J and Holmes, P (1990) Nonlinear Oscillations, Dynamical Systems and Bifurcations of Vector Fields. New York, NY, USA: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Thompson, JMT and Stewart, HB. Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos, 2nd Edn. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Suarez, A, Fernandez, E, Ramirez, F and Sancho, S (2012) Stability and bifurcation analysis of self-oscillating quasi-periodic regimes. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 60, 528–541.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paillot, JM, Nallatamby, JC, Hessane, M, Quere, R, Prigent, M and Rousset, J (1990) General program for steady state, stability, and FM noise analysis of microwave oscillators. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, vol. 3, pp. 1287–1290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rizzoli, V, Mastri, F and Masotti, D (1994) General noise analysis of nonlinear microwave circuits by the piecewise harmonic-balance technique. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 42, 807–819.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nallatamby, JC, Prigent, M, Sarkissian, JC, Quéré, R and Obregón, J (1998) A new approach to nonlinear analysis of noise behavior of synchronized oscillators and analog-frequency dividers. Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on 46, 1168–1171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaertner, FX (1990) Analysis of white and f−α noise in oscillators. International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications 18, 485–519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takahashi, M, Ogawa, K and Kundert, KS (1999) VCO Jitter Simulation and Its Comparison with Measurement. Design Automation Conference, 1999. Proceedings of the ASP-DAC ‘99. Asia and South Pacific, vol. 1, pp. 85–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar