A low-power wideband multi-frequency synthesizer for mobile TV tuner ICs

Abstract

A low-power wideband frequency synthesizer that generates multiple LO frequencies for mobile TV tuner ICs is presented. The synthesizer utilizes a single on-chip LC VCO and an odd-order frequency division technique to achieve both low power and small silicon area. The integrated LC VCO has a tuning range of 2.3 to 3.85 GHz. With a division ratio of 2, 4, 6, 12, 16, 24, and 32, the LO generation block supports FM, VHF III, UHF, Europe-L, and USA-L bands. The measured LO phase noise for the L-band is under -79 dBc/Hz at an offset of 10 kHz. The synthesizer implemented in 0.18-mu m CMOS technology occupies an area of about 1.2mm(2) and dissipates up to 33.5mW from a 1.8-V supply.