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A voltage reference circuit for current source of RFIC blocks

A. Marzuki, Zaliman Sauli, Ali Yeon, Md Shakaff

Microelectronics International

ISSN: 1356-5362

Article publication date: 25 July 2008

512

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to design a voltage reference circuit for current source of radio frequency integrated circuit blocks. The voltage reference circuit is called voltage for current source (VCS).

Design/methodology/approach

The circuit concept is discussed. A voltage‐controlled oscillator (VCO) and buffer circuit together with VCS circuit are built to prove the concept. Though the VCS circuit employs no array of diode like standard bandgap circuit, it still employs the concept of proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) and a complement to absolute temperature (CTAT) elements. The integrated VCO, together with VCO core and VCO buffer circuits, are designed for W‐CDMA application particularly for the demodulator section. All circuits are built in fT=45 GHz SiGe BiCMOS process.

Findings

At 760 MHz the power consumption for core circuit is 0.6 and 3.3 mA for VCO buffer amplifier. The fabricated VCO circuit together with VCO buffer was tested and measured with VCO output of −6 dBm at 760 MHz with variation of 0.1 dBm across −40°C to 85°C.

Originality/value

A voltage reference circuit which is derived from PTAT and CTAT current generators is presented. The circuit is capable of providing a constant current across absolute temperature or a current PTAT.

Keywords

Citation

Marzuki, A., Sauli, Z., Yeon, A. and Shakaff (2008), "A voltage reference circuit for current source of RFIC blocks", Microelectronics International, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 26-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/13565360810889593

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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