Abstract:

Focusing on low-voltage RF frequency synthesizers in CMOS for wireless communication, this tutorial will start with the motivation and the specification derivation.  Different synthesizer architectures will then be reviewed, and their advantages and disadvantages will be compared.  Next, design challenges and considerations for key building blocks including VCOs and frequency dividers will be addressed.  In particular, transformer-feedback technique will be discussed as a potential solution for low voltage and high performance.  Finally, several low-voltage synthesizers with state-of-the-art performance will be presented as case studies.