A semiconductor integrated circuit has a first output node and a second output node that complementarily outputs an oscillation signal, a capacitance circuit, an inductor, a first inverter and a second inverter connected in parallel and in opposite directions, a bias circuit that supplies a bias voltage to the capacitance circuit, and a control circuit that controls the bias circuit and supplies a reference voltage for controlling an oscillation frequency of the oscillation signal to the capacitance circuit. The capacitance circuit includes a first variable capacitance element and a second variable capacitance element connected in series, and the control circuit controls the bias voltage based on a change in an oscillation frequency of the oscillation signal when a voltage level of the reference voltage supplied to a connection node of the first variable capacitance element and the second variable capacitance element is changed in a plurality of ways.

The present disclosure provides a voltage controlled oscillator for flipped and complementary low noise. The voltage controlled oscillator includes a first resonant cavity, a second resonant cavity, and an associated circuit. The associated circuit is configured to connect the first resonant cavity and the second resonant cavity in series and couple the first resonant cavity and the second resonant cavity. A resonant frequency of the first resonant cavity and a resonant frequency of the second resonant cavity satisfy a first preset condition.

An on-chip capacitance measurement method and associated systems and devices are provided. Embodiments described herein rely on using the capacitor under test in an on-chip relaxation oscillator configuration whose charging/discharging currents, supply voltage, and output frequency are measured individually in a measurement block. The voltage thresholds of the relaxation oscillation are calculated from the circuit elements and the measured supply voltage. Because the oscillation frequency of the relaxation oscillator is a function of the capacitance under test, the charging/discharging currents, and the supply voltage (via voltage thresholds), the capacitance under test can be calculated using the measured values of the other quantities. Embodiments described herein provide an accurate, low-power, small-area on-chip system capable of measuring capacitance with high accuracy. An algorithm employing the above method and apparatus for tuning a crystal oscillator is also provided. Relevant circuit implementations used in the on-chip measurement system are also disclosed.

An oscillating signal generator circuit includes an oscillator circuit, a feedback circuit, and a voltage regulator circuit. The oscillator circuit is configured to generate a first and second oscillating signal at a first and second output terminal according to a first reference voltage. The first and second oscillating signals are a differential pair of signals. The oscillator circuit includes a common mode sensing circuit coupled between the first and second output terminals. The common mode sensing circuit is configured to sense a common mode component of the first and second oscillating signals so as to generate a sense voltage. The feedback circuit, coupled to the common mode sensing circuit, is configured to generate a feedback voltage according to the sense voltage. The voltage regulator circuit is coupled to the oscillator circuit and the feedback circuit, and configured to regulate a supply voltage so as to generate the first reference voltage.

A voltage controlled oscillator includes a resonator and an amplifier. The resonator includes a capacitive element and an inductive element. The inductive element has a plurality of conductive segments forming a physical loop. The inductive element has electrical connections on the physical loop to the plurality of conductive segments forming at least one electrical loop disposed within an interior space formed by the physical loop. The amplifier has an input and an output, the input coupled to a first conductive segment forming a first impedance and the output coupled to a second conductive segment forming a second impedance.

A variable capacitance circuit includes a capacitor array having a first capacitor in which a plurality of MIM capacitors are coupled in parallel and a second capacitor in which a plurality of MIM capacitors are coupled in series, and a switch array having a first switch and a second switch. A shape pattern of at least one of a first electrode of the first capacitor, a first ground shield, a second electrode of the second capacitor, and a second ground shield is set so that a first capacitance difference per 1 LSB between first capacitance values of the first capacitor when the first switch is turned on and off and a second capacitance difference per 1 LSB between second capacitance values of the second capacitor when the second switch is turned on and off are close to each other.

The invention discloses an oscillator, including a voltage switching circuit, a voltage adjustment circuit and a frequency generation circuit. The voltage switching circuit receives an output voltage signal whereby the output voltage signal switches a first input voltage signal to a first voltage level signal and switches a second input voltage signal to a second voltage level signal. The voltage adjustment circuit receives the first voltage level signal and the second voltage level signal, whereby the first voltage level signal and the second voltage level signal generate the first adjustment voltage signal and the second adjustment voltage signal. The frequency generation circuit is connected to the voltage adjustment circuit, and receives the first adjustment voltage signal and the second adjustment voltage signal to generate the first output frequency signal and the second output frequency signal according to the first adjustment voltage signal and the second adjustment voltage signal.

Disclosed herein is a fine capacitance tuning circuit for a digitally controlled oscillator. The tuning circuit has low and high frequency tuning banks formed by varactors that have their top plates connected to one another. A controller initially sets states of switches selectively connecting the bottom plates of the varactors of the low frequency bank to a low voltage, a high voltage, or to an RC filter, in response to an integer portion of a control word. A sigma-delta modulator initially sets the states of switches selectively connecting the bottom plates of the varactors of the high frequency bank to either the low voltage or the high voltage, in response to a fractional portion of the control word. The controller modifies the states of the switches of the tuning banks in a complementary fashion, based upon comparisons between the fractional portion of the control word and a series of thresholds.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide an oscillating circuit. An example oscillating circuitry generally includes a differential control pair comprising a first control node and a second control node. The oscillating circuit further includes a first voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) comprising a first differential varactor circuit having a first positive control input coupled to the first control node and a first negative control input coupled to the second control node. The oscillating circuit also includes a second differential varactor circuit having a second positive control input coupled to the second control node and a second negative control input coupled to the first control node.

A crystal oscillator reducing phase noise and a semiconductor chip including the same are provided. The crystal oscillator includes a transconductance circuit electrically connected to a crystal, a load capacitor connected to the transconductance circuit, a feedback resistance circuit connected between an input terminal of the transconductance circuit and an output terminal of the transconductance circuit, the feedback resistance circuit configured to provide a feedback resistance, and a variable resistance controller configured to generate a resistance control signal for controlling the feedback resistance, the resistance control signal causing the feedback resistance to have a first value in a first period and a second value in a second period, the first value being less than the second value, the first period corresponding to a first portion of a cycle of the clock signal, and the second period corresponding to a second portion of the cycle different from the first portion.