A low‐power delay stage ring VCO based on wrap‐gate CNTFET technology for X‐band satellite communication applications

Abstract

SummaryOver the past few years, with lower power consumption, reasonable layout area, and the ease of integration with standard circuit design technologies compared to the other counterparts, delay stage ring voltage‐controlled oscillators (VCOs) have been in the limelight of microelectronics scientists. However, few efforts have focused on representing high‐performance delay stage ring VCOs in the deep nanometric regime. In this regard, by virtue of outstanding electrical properties of carbon nanotube wrap‐gate transistors, this work aims to propose a carbon nanotube field‐effect transistor (CNTFET)–based delay stage ring VCO. After performing rigorous simulations, the proposed ring VCO which has been designed by 10‐nm gate‐all‐around (GAA) CNTFET technology shows suitable electrical performance metrics. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed GAA‐CNTFET‐based ring VCO consumes 85.176 μW at with a 6.12‐ to 10.42‐GHz frequency tuning range. At the worst‐case noise conditions, the proposed design presents ‐90.747 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1 MHz offset frequency. With occupying 1.414 μm2 physical area, the proposed VCO is appropriate for the ultracompact nanoscale radio frequency apparatus. Our simulation results accentuate that with further improvements and commercializing the fabrication techniques for CNTFET transistors, the proposed GAA‐CNTFET‐based VCO can be considered as a potential candidate for X‐band satellite communication applications.

Novel six‐phase ring voltage controlled oscillator with wide frequency tuning range

“…As mentioned in the previous section, one approach to increase the frequency tuning range of ring oscillator is the use of current boosting method. In some previously reported works, [7][8][9] additional transistors have been employed to provide…”

“…As mentioned in the previous section, one approach to increase the frequency tuning range of ring oscillator is the use of current boosting method. In some previously reported works, 7–9 additional transistors have been employed to provide extra currents for increasing the oscillation frequency. These transistors insert extra noises to the circuit and occupy larger area.…”

“…Using additional transistor as the current boosting device in parallel with load transistor in each stage is another approach to rapidly charge the output capacitor. [7][8][9] Noting that additional devices occupy large area and insert extra noises to the circuit.…”

“…In this technique, due to using inductor in each stage to resonate with its output capacitance, the circuit area will be increased. Using additional transistor as the current boosting device in parallel with load transistor in each stage is another approach to rapidly charge the output capacitor 7–9 . Noting that additional devices occupy large area and insert extra noises to the circuit.…”

A High-Gain CNTFET-Based LNA Developed Using a Compact Design-Oriented Device Model

“…Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) have demonstrated the ability to be suitable for mixed-signal and RF application, with respect to both conventional bulk semiconductors and 2-D materials, such as graphene [1][2][3][4][5][6]. This is due to the fact that the 1-D transport in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) leads not only to a low scattering rate and high current-carrying capability but also to a linear I D vs. V GS transcharacteristic under some conditions [7][8][9].…”