Fully integrated and plastic packaged 24 GHz VCO for ISM and automotive applications

A fully integrated GaAs HBT ring Voltage Controlled Oscillator, in a plastic package, providing a high frequency 24 GHz signal has been designed and realized. This VCO is designed for the automotive environment, especially within a wide temperature range. The key advance is achieving good linearity, with very good temperature behavior and harmonics suppression, at a low cost and very small size. Around 3 GHz tuning range is exhibited in order to cover the narrow hand 24-24.25 GHz. The 24GHz VCO yields 12 dBm output power, while a second harmonics suppression of 20dBc is maintained. The chip is assembled in a surface mount plastic package.