A dual-injection locked frequency dividing circuit is proposed, which is designed for integration to a gigahertz signal processing circuit system for providing a frequency dividing function to gigahertz signals. The proposed circuit architecture is characterized by the provision of a dual-injection interface module on the input end for dividing the input signal into two parts for use as two injection signals, wherein the first injection signal is rendered in the form of a voltage signal and injected through a direct injection manner to the internal oscillation circuitry, while the second injection signal is rendered in the form of an electrical current and injected through a resonant circuit to the internal oscillation circuitry. This feature allow the proposed frequency dividing circuit to have broad frequency locking range and low power consumption.

Dual-injection locked frequency dividing circuit

This paper presents the design of a direct-injection divide-by-3 frequency divider operating at the K -band. The divider is implemented in a 0.18- μm CMOS process. The measured free-running frequency of the divider is 7.96 GHz. By utilizing a floating-source differential injector and without a varactor tuning in the divider core, the total locking range is 3.2 GHz with a power consumption of 8.28 mW from a supply voltage of 0.9 V. The total power consumption of the buffers is 9.54 mW from a supply voltage of 1.8 V. The measured phase noise of the divider is -141.3 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset when the input referred signal with a phase noise of -132.8 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset from 24 GHz. The phase-noise difference of 8.5 dB is close to the theoretical value of 9.5 dB for division-by-3. The output power of the divider is more than -11 dBm over the whole locking range.

Low-Voltage $K$ -Band Divide-by-3 Injection-Locked Frequency Divider With Floating-Source Differential Injector

This letter proposes a new divide-by-3 CMOS injection locked frequency divider (ILFDMOS. ) fabricated in a 0.18-mum CMOS process and describes the operation principle of the ILFD. The ILFD circuit is realized with a double cross-coupled CMOS LC-tank oscillator with an injection MOS. The self-oscillating voltage controlled oscillator is injection-locked by third-harmonic input to obtain the division order of three. Measurement results show that at the supply voltage of 1.8 V, the free-running frequency is from 1.62 to 1.89 GHz. At the incident power of 5 dBm, the locking range is from the incident frequency 4.85 to 5.7 GHz.

A Divide-by-3 Injection Locked Frequency Divider With Single-Ended Input

This letter proposes a wide-locking range divide-by-3 injection-locked frequency divider fabricated in the 90 nm 1P9M CMOS technology. The divider consists of an nMOS cross-coupled p-core Armstrong LC oscillator and a center-tapped inductor in series with the pMOSFETs. The pMOSFETs are used as a linear and second harmonic mixer. At the supply voltage of 1 V, the free-running frequency is from 7.84 to 8.42 GHz, the current and power consumption of the divider without buffers are 4 mA and 4 mW respectively. At the incident power of 0 dBm, the locking range is 4.28 GHz (19.8%), from the incident frequency 19.52 to 23.8 GHz.

A 90 nm CMOS LC-Tank Divide-by-3 Injection-Locked Frequency Divider With Record Locking Range

An injection-locked frequency divider is provided. The injection-locked frequency divider includes a variable reactance unit, a signal injection unit, a first switch, a second switch, a first transformer, and a second transformer. The variable reactance unit, the first switch, the second switch, the first transformer, and the second transformer form a transformer-based LC-tank oscillator. The signal injection unit receives an injection signal. When the injection-locked frequency divider is in a locked state, the transformer-based LC-tank oscillator outputs a frequency division signal. Employing the feedback action of the first transformer and the second transformer, the present invention not only has a wide locking range but also promotes the realization of the low operating voltage.

Injection-locked frequency divider

This letter proposes a new CMOS injection locked frequency divider (ILFD) fabricated in a 0.35 mum CMOS process. The ILFD circuit is realized with a cross-coupled CMOS LC-tank oscillator, and the injecticon is carried out through the bodies of cross- coupled transistors. The self-oscillating ILFD is injection-locked by second-(third-) harmonic input to obtain the division order of two (three). Measurement results show that at the supply voltage of 1.5 V and at the incident power of 10 dBm, the locking range is from the incident frequency 6.94 to 8.41 GHz in the divide-by-3 mode and the operation range is from the incident frequency 4.56 to 5.59 GHz in the divide-by-2 mode.

A Low Voltage 0.35 $\mu$ m CMOS FrequencyDivider With the Body Injection Technique

A new injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) using a standard 0.18 mum CMOS process is presented. The ILFD is based on a differential Colpitts voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with a direct injection MOSFET for coupling an external signal to the resonators. The VCO is composed of two single-ended VCOs coupled with two transformers. Measurement results show that at the supply voltage of 1.4 V the divider's free-running frequency is tunable from 4.77 to 5.08 GHz, and the proposed circuit can function as a first harmonic injection-locked oscillator, divide-by-2, -3, and -4 frequency divider. At the incident power of 0 dBm the divide-by-2 operation range is from the incident frequency 7.7 to 11.5 GHz and the divide-by-4 operation range is from the incident frequency 18.9 to 20.2 GHz.

LC -Tank Colpitts Injection-Locked Frequency Divider With Even and Odd Modulo

This letter proposes a wideband injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) and describes the operation principle of the ILFD. The circuit is made of a differential CMOS LC-tank oscillator and is based on the direct injection topology. The wideband function is obtained by tuning the switch across the tank inductors. The divide-by-two ILFD can provide wide locking range and the measurement results show that at the supply voltage of 1.8 V, the dual-band divider free-running frequencies are from 1.77 to 2.17 GHz for the low-band mode, and from 2.59 to 3.2 GHz for the high-band mode. At the incident power of 0 dBm, the locking range is about 1.7 GHz from the incident frequency 3.31 to 5.01 GHz at low band and 4.06 GHz from 3.94 to 8.0 GHz at high-band mode. The circuit can be used as a single wideband ILFD.

A Wide Locking Range $LC$ -Tank Injection-Locked Frequency Divider

This letter presents a new quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator (QVCO). The LC-tank QVCO consists of two first-harmonic injection-locked oscillators (ILOs). The outputs of one ILO are injected to the gates of the tail transistors on the other ILO and vice versa so as to force the two ILOs operate in quadrature. The proposed CMOS QVCO has been implemented with the TSMC 0.18 mum CMOS technology and the die area is 0.582 times 0.972 mm2. At the supply voltage of 1.0 V, the total power consumption is 8.0 mW. The free-running frequency of the QVCO is tunable from 5.31 GHz to 5.75 GHz as the tuning voltage is varied from 0.0 V to 1.0 V. The measured phase noise at 1 MHz offset is -120.01 dBc/Hz at the oscillation frequency of 5.31 GHz and the figure of merit (FOM) of the proposed QVCO is about -185.48 dBc/Hz.

Chien-Feng Lee

Papers

A Divide-by-3 Injection Locked Frequency Divider With Single-Ended Input

A Low Voltage 0.35 $\mu$ m CMOS FrequencyDivider With the Body Injection Technique

LC -Tank Colpitts Injection-Locked Frequency Divider With Even and Odd Modulo

A Wide Locking Range $LC$ -Tank Injection-Locked Frequency Divider

CMOS Quadrature VCO Implemented With Two First-Harmonic Injection-Locked Oscillators