High performance RF CMOS VCO design for integrated frequency synthesizers

213 p.Fully integrated frequency synthesizers have been widely adopted for the wireless communication, data communication and optical communication systems to produce precise local oscillator (LO) signals for the channel selection. A frequency synthesizer is required to have a low phase noise in order to prevent the unwanted signals mixing with the interferences. A major challenge in the design of a fully integrated frequency synthesizer is the design of the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) that affects the noise performance and power consumption of a synthesizer directly. The phase noise of the VCO is one of the most critical parameters for the quality and reliability of the information transfer. The objective of this project is to design high performance LC VCOs for integrated frequency synthesizers.DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (EEE