An Enhanced Design of RF Integrated Differential Active Inductor

International audienceActive inductors circuits are developed as an alternative solution for multiband systems. In this context, this paper presents a wide tunability, a low power, high-Q differential active inductor (DAI) using 0.13 μm CMOS technology. This work proposes a DAI using two cascode-grounded active inductors and cross-coupled negative resistance to decrease the noise and to improve the quality factor. The inductance tuning range, quality factor, and other performance are improved by using a technique enabling to vary the current crossing the proposed circuit and by inserting a tunable feedback resistance. Results based on post-layout simulations (PLS) illustrate that the inductance tuning range from 79.8 to 495 nH resulting in a frequency tuning range from 3.19 to 0.784 GHz. An excellent tunable quality factor almost of 2600 is achieved at 1.47 GHz. The core DAI dissipates between 1.57 and 2.59 mW on a 1 V supply voltage. The circuit has an input 1 dB compression point Pin, 1 dB of −2.32 dBm. Simulated noise at 0.784 GHz is less than 3.48 nV/√Hz. The chip area of the DAI with testing pads is around 0.002 mm2