Design of Phase Locked Loop in 180 nm Technology

TL;DR

This paper presents a CMOS PLL design in 180 nm technology capable of generating 2.4 GHz with a wide tuning range, demonstrating effective frequency locking, low power consumption, and fast lock time through simulation and measurement.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 180 nm CMOS PLL design with a 3-stage CSVCO and detailed performance evaluation, including simulation and measurement results.

Findings

Achieves a lock-in range of 70.4 MHz to 173 MHz.

Generates an output frequency from 1.12 GHz to 2.78 GHz.

Consumes a maximum power of 5.15 mW at 2.4 GHz.

Abstract

The presented paper introduces a design for a phase-locked loop (PLL) that is utilized in frequency synthesis and modulation-demodulation within communication systems and in VLSI applications. The CMOS PLL is designed using 180 nm Fabrication Technology on Cadence Virtuoso Tool with a supply voltage of 1.8 V. The performance is evaluated through simulations and measurements, which demonstrate its ability to track and lock onto the input frequency. The PLL is a frequency synthesizer implemented to generate 2.4 GHz frequency. The input reference clock from a crystal oscillator is 150 MHz square wave. Negative feedback is given by divide-by-16 frequency divider, ensuring the phase and frequency synchronization between the divided signal and the reference signal. The design has essential components such as a phase frequency detector, charge pump, loop filter, current-starved voltage-controlled oscillator (CSVCO), and frequency divider. Through their collaborative operation, the system generates an output frequency that is 16 times the input frequency. The centre frequency of the 3-stage CSVCO is 3.208 GHz at 900 mV input voltage. With an input voltage ranging from 0.4 V to 1.8 V, the VCO offers a tuning range that spans from 1.066 GHz to 3.731 GHz.PLL demonstrates a lock-in range spanning from 70.4 MHz to 173 MHz, with an output frequency range of 1.12 GHz to 2.78 GHz. It achieves a lock time of 260.03 ns and consumes a maximum power of 5.15 mW at 2.4 GHz.