Self-cascode active inductor in 65nm bulk CMOS for low power RF oscillator

This paper shows an effective and novel implementation of the self-cascode technique in the design of a CMOS active inductor in 65nm CMOS bulk technology with a triple-well process. The current operated active inductor operates at a self-resonant frequency of 0.447 GHz at a relatively low bias current (less than 150 uA) drawn from a 1.2 V voltage supply. The design methodology of the self-cascode CMOS active inductor is investigated and discussed. A low voltage, differential output LC oscillator is designed using the proposed self-cascode active inductor to assess the feasibility of the latter in RF and microwave circuits. The operation of the circuits proposed in this paper is verified using Cadence simulation tools.