A 103-GHz Voltage Controlled Oscillator with 28% Tuning Range and 4.2 dBm Peak Output Power Using SiGe BiCMOS Technology

This paper presents a voltage controlled oscillator at 103 GHz with 28% frequency tuning range implemented in 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. Two Colpitts oscillators are coupled in a push-push configuration. To extend the tuning range of the push-push oscillator, the emitter impedance is exploited, where a reverse saturated transistor is used to switch between two different lengths of a transmission line connected to the emitter. The fabricated push-push oscillator has a measured peak output power of 4.2 dBm at 108 GHz, with a tuning range from 89 GHz to 118 GHz (29 GHz). The figure of merit at the peak output power is -201.2 dBc/Hz, which is to the authors' best knowledge the highest among published results to date at the F-band frequency range.