A 76.2–89.1 GHz Phase-Locked Loop With 15.6% Tuning Range in 90 nm CMOS for W-Band Applications

In this letter, a wide tuning range W-band phase-locked loop (PLL) in 90 nm CMOS is presented. A novel frequency tripling topology with a single cross-coupled pair and a dual tank is proposed for the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to achieve wide tuning characteristics under low power consumption. The locking range of the PLL at the fundamental tone is 25.4-29.7 GHz, and an excellent tuning range at the third harmonic frequency up to 12.9 GHz (from 76.2 to 89.1 GHz, 15.6%) is obtained. Under a 1.2 V supply voltage (P
_diss
= 62.4 mW), the measured closed-loop phase noise of the PLL is -83.5 dBc/Hz at 78.34 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, the achieved turning range is the highest currently reported for the PLLs operating in a similar frequency range in CMOS technology.