Power-Optimized Digitally Controlled Oscillator in 28-nm CMOS for Low-Power FMCW Radars

This work presents the design of a 24-GHz digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) in an advanced 28-nm bulk CMOS technology for short-range frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar system-on-chip for mobile and Internet-of-Things devices. The power minimization is therefore the primary focus. The oscillator consumes a record low power of 1.2 mW at a 0.65-V supply voltage. It achieves a very large frequency tuning range (TR) of 5.8 GHz (27%) and a 150 kHz resolution without significantly degrading the phase noise (PN). The proposed design methodology results in a state-of-the-art -193 dBc/Hz FoM(T).