Download - VCO Fundamentals
Overview
• Functional Block Concept
• Oscillator Review
• Basic Performance Metrics
• Methods of Tuning
• Advanced Performance Metrics
• Conclusion
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Overview
• Functional Block Concept
– Applications
– Specifications
• Oscillator Review
• Basic Performance Metrics
• Methods of Tuning
• Advanced Performance Metrics
• Conclusion
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Functional Block Concept• Input control voltage VTUNE
determines frequency of output waveform
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Applications: RF System
• Downconvert band of interest to IF
• VCO: Electrically tunable selection
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Applications: Digital System
• Clock synthesis (frequency multiplication)
÷ N
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J. A. McNeill and D. R. Ricketts, “The Designer’s Guide to Jitter in Ring Oscillators.” Springer, 2009
• from data sheet showing specs
Specifications
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Overview
• Functional Block Concept
• Oscillator Review
– Frequency Control
– Amplitude Control
– Types of Oscillators
• Basic Performance Metrics
• Methods of Tuning
• Advanced Performance Metrics
• Conclusion
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Oscillator Review
• Types of Oscillators
– Multivibrator
– Ring
– Resonant
– Feedback
• Basic Factors in Oscillator Design
– Frequency
– Amplitude / Output Power
– Startup
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Multivibrator
• Conceptual multivibrator oscillator– Also called astable or relaxation oscillator
• One energy storage element
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Example: Multivibrator
• Frequency: Controlled by charging current IREF ,
C, VREF thresholds
• Amplitude: Controlled by thresholds, logic swing
• Startup: Guaranteed; no stable state
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Ring Oscillator
• Frequency: Controlled by gate delay• Amplitude: Controlled by logic swing• Startup: Guaranteed; no stable state
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Resonant Oscillator
• Concept: Natural oscillation frequency of resonance
• Energy flows back and forth between two storage modes
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fOSC =1
2π LC
Resonant Oscillator (Ideal)
• Example: swing (ideal)
• Energy storage modes: potential, kinetic
• Frequency: Controlled by length of pendulum
• Amplitude: Controlled by initial position
• Startup: Needs initial condition energy input
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Resonant Oscillator (Real)
• Problem: Loss of energy due to friction• Turns “organized” energy (potential, kinetic) into
“disorganized” thermal energy (frictional heating)• Amplitude decays toward zero• Requires energy input to maintain amplitude• Amplitude controlled by “supervision”
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LC Resonant Oscillator (Ideal)
• Energy storage modes:
Magnetic field (L current), Electric field (C voltage)
• Frequency: Controlled by LC
• Amplitude: Controlled by initial condition
• Startup: Needs initial energy input (initial condition)
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LC Resonant Oscillator (Real)
• Problem: Loss of energy due to nonideal L, C
– Model as resistor RLOSS; Q of resonator
• E, M field energy lost to resistor heating
• Amplitude decays toward zero
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LC Resonant Oscillator (Real)
• Problem: Loss of energy due to nonideal L, C
• Requires energy input to maintain amplitude
• Synthesize “negative resistance”
• Cancel RLOSS with -RNEG
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Negative Resistance
• Use active device to synthesize V-I characteristic that
“looks like” –RNEG
• Example: amplifier with positive feedback
• Feeds energy into resonator to counteract losses in RLOSS
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Feedback Oscillator: Wien Bridge
• Forward gain A=3
• Feedback network with transfer
function ββββ(f)
• At fOSC, |ββββ|=1/3 and ∠ ββββ =0
• Thought experiment: break loop, inject sine wave, look at signal returned around feedback loop
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Aββββ=1
• “Just right”waveform is self sustaining
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Aββββ=0.99
• “Not enough”waveform decays to zero
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Aββββ=1.01
• “Too much”waveform growsexponentially
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Feedback oscillator
• Stable amplitude condition: Aββββ=1 EXACTLY• Frequency determined by feedback network Aββββ=1 condition• Need supervisory circuit to monitor amplitude• Startup: random noise; supervisory circuit begins with Aββββ>1
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Resonant Oscillator (Real)
• Stable amplitude condition: |RNEG| = RLOSS EXACTLY
• Frequency determined by LC network
• Startup: random noise; begin with |RNEG| > RLOSS
• Amplitude grows; soft clip gives average |RNEG| = RLOSS
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|RNEG| < RLOSS |RNEG| = RLOSS |RNEG| > RLOSS
Clapp oscillator
• L, C1-C2-C3 set oscillation frequency fOSC
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fOSC =1
2π LCeq
Ceq
=1
1
C1
+1
C2
+1
C3
Clapp oscillator
• Circuit configuration • Equivalent circuit
MiniCircuitsAN95-007, “Understanding Oscillator Concepts”
Clapp oscillator
• Frequency: Determined by L, C1, C2, C3
• Amplitude: Grows until limited by gm soft clipping
• Startup: Choose C1, C2 feedback for | RNEG | > RLOSS
Zeq
=1
jωC1
+1
jωC2
−g
m
ω 2C
1C
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Oscillator Summary
• Typical performance of oscillator architectures:
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kHz MHz GHz
FREQUENCY fOSC
BETTERPHASENOISE
RESONANT
RING
MULTIVIBRATOR
FEEDBACK
Overview
• Functional Block Concept
• Oscillator Review
• Basic Performance Metrics
– Frequency Range
– Tuning Range
• Methods of Tuning
• Advanced Performance Metrics
• Conclusion
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• from data sheet showing specs
Basic Performance Metrics
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• from data sheet showing specs
Basic Performance Metrics
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Basic Performance Metrics
• Supply: DC operating power
• Output
– Sine: output power dBm into 50Ω
– Square: compatible logic
• Frequency Range
• Tuning Voltage Range
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Frequency Range
• Output frequency over tuning voltage range• Caution: Temperature sensitivity
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Overview
• Functional Block Concept
• Oscillator Review
• Basic Performance Metrics
• Methods of Tuning
• Advanced Performance Metrics
• Conclusion
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VCOs / Methods of Tuning• Require electrical control of some parameter
determining frequency:
• Multivibrator– Charge / discharge
current
• Ring Oscillator– Gate delay
• Resonant– Voltage control of
capacitance in LC (varactor)
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Example: Tuning Multivibrator
• Frequency: Controlled by IREF , C, VREF thresholds
• Use linear transconductanceGM to develop IREF from VTUNE
+ Very linear VTUNE – fOSC characteristic
- But: poor phase noise; fOSC limited to MHz range
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fOSC =IREF
4CVREF
fOSC =GM
4CVREF
VTUNE
IREF = GMVTUNE
Tuning LC Resonator: Varactor
• Q-V characteristic of pn junction
• Use reverse bias diode for C in resonator
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C j =C j 0
1+VR
Vbi
m
C j =dQ
dVR
Q
Example: Clapp oscillator
• Tuning range fMIN, fMAX set by CTUNE maximum, minimum
• Want C1, C2 > CTUNE for wider tuning range
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fOSC =1
2π LCTUNE
1+CTUNE
C1
+CTUNE
C2
Overview
• Functional Block Concept
• Oscillator Review
• Basic Performance Metrics
• Methods of Tuning
• Advanced Performance Metrics
– Tuning Sensitivity
– Phase Noise
– Supply Pushing
– Load Pulling
• Conclusion
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Advanced Performance Metrics
• Tuning Sensitivity (V-f linearity)
• Phase Noise
• Supply/Load Sensitivity
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• from data sheet showing specs
Tuning Sensitivity
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Frequency Range
• Change in slope [MHz/V] over tuning voltage range
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Tuning Sensitivity
• Why do you care?
– PLL: Tuning sensitivity KO affects control parameters
– Loop bandwidth ωωωωL (may not be critical)
– Stability (critical!)
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Kd θ i − θo( )1+ sτZ
sτI
KO
s
ωL
≈KdKOτZ
τI
Varactor Tuning
• Disadvantages of abrupt junction C-V characteristic (m=1/2)
– Smaller tuning range– Inherently nonlinear VTUNE – fOSC characteristic
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C j =C
j 0
1+V
TUNE
Vbi
m
fOSC
=1
2π LC
fOSC ≈1
2π LC j 0
VTUNE
Vbi
m 2
m =1 2
Hyperabrupt Junction Varactor
• Hyperabrupt junction C-V characteristic (m ≈ 2)+ Larger tuning range; more linear VTUNE – fOSC
- Disadvantage: Lower Q in resonator
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C j =C
j 0
1+V
TUNE
Vbi
m
fOSC
=1
2π LC
fOSC ≈1
2π LC j 0
VTUNE
Vbi
m 2
m =1 2 m →2
• from data sheet showing specs
Phase Noise
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Phase Noise
• Power spectrum “close in” to carrier
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Phase Noise: RF System
• Mixers convolve LO spectrum with RF
• Phase noise “blurs” IF spectrum
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Phase Noise: Digital System
• Time domain jitter on synthesized output clock• Decreases timing margin for system using clock
÷ N
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Shape of Phase Noise Spectrum
• LC filters noise into narrow band near fundamental• High Q resonator preferred to minimize noise
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Phase Noise: Intuitive view
• Sine wave + white noise; Filter; limit; Result:
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Phase Noise: Intuitive view
• Sine wave + white noise;Filter; limit; Result:
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Phase Noise Description
• Symmetric; look at single sided representation• Normalized to carrier: dBc• At different offset frequencies from carrier• White frequency noise: phase noise with -20dB/decade slope• Other noise processes change slope; 1/f noise gives
-30dB/decade
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Phase Noise Specification
• Symmetric; look at single sided• Normalized to carrier: dBc• At different offset frequencies from carrier
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Sources of Phase Noise
Noise of active devices
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Thermal noise: Losses in resonator, series R of varactor
White noise in VTUNE signal path
Supply / Load Sensitivity
• Ideally tuning voltage is the only way to change output frequency– In reality other factors involved– Mechanism depends on specifics of circuit
• Power supply dependence: Supply Pushing• Impedance mismatch at output: Load Pulling
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Supply Pushing
• Change in fOSC due to change in supply voltage
• Clapp oscillator: supply affects transistor bias condition, internal signal amplitudes
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Load Pulling
• Change in fOSC due to impedance mismatch at output
• Clapp oscillator; reflection couples through transistor parasitic to LC resonator
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Overview
• Functional Block Concept
• Oscillator Review
• Basic Performance Metrics
• Methods of Tuning
• Advanced Performance Metrics
• Conclusion
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Summary: VCO Fundamentals
• First order behavior
– Tuning voltage VTUNE controls output frequency
– Specify by min/max range of fOSC, VTUNE
• Performance limitations
– Linearity of tuning characteristic
– Spectral purity: phase noise, harmonics
– Supply, load dependence
• Different VCO architectures trade frequency range, tuning linearity, phase noise performance
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Questions?
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Thank you to our presenter John McNeill and our
sponsor Mini-Circuits