Method and apparatus for fully integrating a voltage controlled oscillator on an integrated circuit

Abstract

A method and apparatus for fully integrating a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) on an integrated circuit. The VCO is implemented using a differential-mode circuit design. The differential-mode implementation of the VCO preferably comprises a differential mode LC-resonator circuit, a digital capacitor, a differential pair amplifier, and a current source. The LC-resonator circuit includes at least one tuning varactor and two high Q inductors. The tuning varactor preferably has a wide tuning capacitance range. The tuning varactor is only used to “fine-tune” the center output frequency f,of the VCO. The center output frequency f,is coarsely tuned by the digital capacitor. The VCO high Q inductors comprise high gain, high self-resonance, and low loss IC inductors. The IC VCO is fabricated on a high resistivity substrate material using a trench isolated guard ring. The guard ring isolates the fully integrated VCO, and each of its component parts, from RF signals that may be introduced into the IC substrate by other devices. By virtue of the improved performance characteristics provided by the digital capacitor, the analog tuning varactor, the high Q inductor, and the trench isolated guard ring techniques, the inventive VCO is fully integrated despite process variations in IC fabrication.