A voltage-controlled oscillator includes an oscillation generator, two inductors and two amplifiers. The oscillation generator generates two oscillation voltage signals based on a control voltage. Each inductor receives a respective oscillation voltage signal, and provides a respective input voltage signal. Each amplifier generates a respective current signal based on a respective input voltage signal. When one of the current signals has a magnitude that varies according to a magnitude of the respective input voltage signal, the other of the current signals has a constant magnitude. The current signals are combined into an output current signal at a common node of the amplifiers.

A phase-locked loop circuit includes an oscillator, a frequency control device, the frequency control device generating a frequency control signal that controls a frequency of the oscillator, and a bias optimizer that monitors the frequency control device and generates a bias voltage for the oscillator, the oscillator includes a transfer function from bias voltage to frequency that is proportional to a transfer function from a low frequency noise component to frequency, the transfer function from bias voltage to frequency having a convex shape with a local minimum at which a sensitivity of the frequency to changes in the bias voltage is zero, and the bias voltage from the bias optimizer is set to the local minimum.

A phase-locked loop circuit includes an oscillator, a frequency control device, the frequency control device generating a frequency control signal that controls a frequency of the oscillator, and a bias optimizer that monitors the frequency control device and generates a bias voltage for the oscillator, the oscillator includes a transfer function from bias voltage to frequency that is proportional to a transfer function from a low frequency noise component to frequency, the transfer function from bias voltage to frequency having a convex shape with a local minimum at which a sensitivity of the frequency to changes in the bias voltage is zero, and the bias voltage from the bias optimizer is set to the local minimum.

A compensation module, an oscillation circuit and associated compensation method for reducing an oscillation frequency variation in an output oscillation signal of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) core are provided. The compensation module includes a compensation circuit and a polarity selection circuit. The compensation circuit has a capacitance value related to voltages of a first and a second receiving terminals. The oscillation frequency variation is changed with the capacitance value. The polarity selection circuit conducts a periodic regulated signal to one of the first receiving terminal and the second receiving terminal. The polarity selection circuit conducts a filtered bias signal to the other of the first receiving terminal and the second receiving terminal. The periodic regulated signal is sensitive to a regulated voltage variation, and the filtered bias signal is insensitive to the regulated voltage variation.

A wireless communication apparatus includes an oscillator circuit configured to generate an oscillation signal corresponding to an oscillation frequency determined by an antenna, and a bias generator circuit configured to reconfigure an operation region mode of a transistor included in the oscillator circuit by adjusting a bias signal in response to an enable signal.

A receiver front-end capable of receiving RF inputs having a broad range of levels. The receiver comprises a low-noise amplifier (LNA) operating in a variety of bias modes that cover a large gain range. Branches of the amplifier can be turned on in various combinations to allow selection of different bias modes. A degeneration inductor coupled to the source of the common source FET of each branch has a plurality of taps that are coupled to degeneration switches that can ground the tap to effectively shorten the degeneration inductor and reduce the amount of degeneration inductance. The degeneration inductor and associated switches can be fabricated using one of several physical layouts. Operating the degeneration switches to select the length of the degeneration inductor to match the bias mode reduces changes in the input impedance as different bias modes are selected.

Circuits and processes for locking a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) at a high frequency signal are described. A circuit may include a voltage-controlled oscillator configured to generate a high frequency signal based on a control signal, a dummy load parallel to the voltage-controlled oscillator and configured to receive the control signal via a switch, and a digital-to-analog converter coupled to the voltage-controlled oscillator where the control signal is generated based on an output of the digital-to-analog converter.

A voltage-controlled oscillator includes an oscillation generator, two inductors and two amplifiers. The oscillation generator generates two oscillation voltage signals based on a control voltage. Each inductor receives a respective oscillation voltage signal, and provides a respective input voltage signal. Each amplifier generates a respective current signal based on a respective input voltage signal. When one of the current signals has a magnitude that varies according to a magnitude of the respective input voltage signal, the other of the current signals has a constant magnitude. The current signals are combined into an output current signal at a common node of the amplifiers.

The present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for dynamically adjusting the common mode voltage at the LC tank node and/or the power supply voltage of a VCO with an LC resonator in order to force oscillation start-up by temporarily increasing gain. Methods according to certain preferred embodiments may reduce power consumption and/or overcome threshold voltage limitations and/or increase frequency and frequency tuning range during normal (steady-state) operation.

An oscillator includes an input terminal, an oscillation circuit section configured to cause a resonator to resonate to output an oscillator signal, a digital input section to which a signal for controlling an oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit section is input via the input terminal, and a first bias circuit section including a constant current source configured to supply a reference current to the digital input section.