A 283-to-296GHz VCO with 0.76mW peak output power in 65nm CMOS

Sub-mm-Wave and terahertz frequencies have many applications such as medical imaging, spectroscopy and communication systems. CMOS signal generation at this frequency range is a major challenge due to the limited cut-off frequency of transistors and their low breakdown voltage. A recent work has demonstrated generation of high power at a fixed frequency in the sub-mm-Wave range using a harmonic oscillator [1]. However, for most applications a tunable signal source is necessary. In previous works, frequency multipliers are used as an alternative for tunable power generation above 150GHz [2]. In this work, for the first time we introduce a tunable high-power oscillator at sub-mm-Wave frequencies in low-power (LP) bulk CMOS.