LC-VCO in the 3.3- to 4-GHz Band Implemented in 32-nm Low-Power CMOS Technology

In this brief, a conventional LC voltage-controlled oscillator (LC-VCO) for Global System for Mobile Communications 900 applications is implemented in a 32-nm CMOS technology. The transition to 32-nm technology represents a big step from the technological point of view, mainly due to the introduction of high-κ dielectrics. In spite of the considered ultrascaled technology, the measured performance is aligned with recently published conventional LC-VCOs in the gigahertz range. The robustness of the VCO versus temperature and supply variation is experimentally characterized and analyzed in detail by means of circuit simulations.