Compact and low phase noise LC-VCO design using novel V-shaped inductor in 0.18-μm CMOS technology for Ku-band applications

An innovative, high-quality factor, and small-area V-shaped inductor is presented in this article to improve the performance of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs). The differential inductance of the suggested V-shaped inductor in the resonator and the buffer is 280 pH and 630 pH, respectively. The inductor area is compacted by 42% and 76% compared to the conventional inductor with the same inductance value. Using 0.18- (Formula presented.) CMOS technology, the proposed V-shaped inductor is employed to design a compact VCO operating at Ku-band. The proposed VCO has a simulated phase noise range of −114 to −114.6 dBc/Hz, which is relatively constant. Also, its simulated frequency tuning range (FTR) is 5.6 % from 14.03 to 14.74 GHz. The power consumption is 2.2 mW. The simulated figure of merit (FoM) ranges from −193.5 to −194.2 dBc/Hz, which is enhanced by 6%. The designed VCO core area is 0.034 mm², which is compacted by 35% compared to using a conventional spiral inductor. The achieved area-included figure of merit ((Formula presented.)) is −208.7 dBc/Hz. The VCO has an output power of −6.8 dBm and a good harmonic suppression of 29.4 dB between the fundamental and the second harmonic.