Design, Analysis and Total Ionization Dose Test of a 3GHz Voltage-Controlled-Oscillator

Voltage Control Oscillator (VCO) is one of the most sensitive components in Phase-locked loops (PLLs). This paper presents the design, analysis and total ionization dose (TID) measurement results of a 3GHz VCO designed and implemented using a commercial 0.25μm Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) CMOS process. First, we present the TID effects on single NMOS and PMOS transistors made in a test chip using the same technology. We then present the theoretical analysis of a VCO design using symmetrical load. This is followed by simulations of radiation effects on various VCO performances such as tuning range and phase noise. In the end, we present the TID measurement results of the VCO with up to 100Krad of Proton irradiation that support our analysis.