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The potential of active inductors (AIs) has been often reduced by lack of accurate design methodologies and limitations due to the inherent noise sources. This paper deals with these two open issues for a high-frequency CMOS AI characterized by high-quality factor, low-power consumption, and low noise. First, it reports an effective design methodology for the implementation of high-frequency CMOS AIs with a high-quality factor. In particular, it shows how, through an advanced small-signal circuit model, to carry out an accurate and reliable design at high frequency (over 10 GHz) in modern nanoscale CMOS process. The design methodology is validated through cases of study at 13 GHz implemented in a standard 90-nm CMOS process and characterized experimentally. The results show that the AI exhibits an equivalent inductance close to 3.2 nH with an associated quality factor close to 200. After, it reports a noise analysis. It shows that the AI exhibits a very low level of noise, enabling its application to the implementation of high-quality factor low-noise LC tank in high-frequency building blocks of radio frequency front-ends. The results show that the AI exhibits a noise power spectral density lower than −150 dBm/Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high gain W-band low noise amplifier for radiometric applications in 28 nm bulk CMOS technology is presented. Pads, inductors, capacitors and coplanar waveguides have been custom designed. The parasitic effects of the transistor layout have been evaluated by means of electromagnetic simulations and calculations based on data reported in the design rule manual of the technology. The amplifier consists of six cascode stages with input, output and interstage conjugate matching for maximum power transfer. Measurement results show a peak gain of 32 dB and a noise figure of 5.3 dB at 91 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A 13 GHz active inductor LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) has been realized in 90 nm CMOS technology by ST-Microelectronics. The VCO consists of two complementary cross-coupled pairs, an active LC tank implemented by means of a differential high-Q low-noise active inductor and two p-MOSFET varicaps, and an output buffer stage. The measurements show a phase noise of -105.25 ~dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset. The current consumption of the VCO core and differential boot-strapped inductor amount to 0.7 and 1.8 mA, respectively, from a 1.2 V supply voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]