Oscillator, a clock generator and a method for generating a clock signal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9819348-B2
Application number	US-201514829657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2015
Priority date	Nov 3, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

An oscillator configured to generate an oscillation signal is provided. The oscillator includes a transistor pair and a cross-coupled transistor pair. The transistor pair is coupled to a first current source and has a first transconductance. The first transconductance is changed in response to a current value of the first current source. The cross-coupled transistor pair is coupled to a second current source and has a second transconductance. The second transconductance is changed in response to a current value of second current source. The transistor pair and the cross-coupled transistor pair are mutually coupled by a plurality of inductors. A frequency of the oscillation signal is determined according to the first transconductance and the second transconductance. Furthermore, a clock generator and a method for generating a clock signal thereof are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oscillator, configured to generate an oscillation signal, and the oscillator comprising:
a transistor pair, coupled to a first current source, wherein the transistor pair has a first transconductance, and the first transconductance is changed in response to a current value of the first current source;
a cross-coupled transistor pair, coupled to a second current source, wherein the cross-coupled transistor pair has a second transconductance, the second transconductance is changed in response to a current value of the second current source, the transistor pair and the cross-coupled transistor pair are mutually coupled through a plurality of inductors; and
a temperature sensor circuit, coupled to at least one of the first current source and the second current source, configured to sense a temperature parameter, and adjusting the current value of at least one of the first current source and the second current source according to the temperature parameter,
wherein a frequency of the oscillation signal is determined according to the first transconductance and the second transconductance.

2. The oscillator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oscillator is a crystal-free oscillator.

3. The oscillator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oscillator is a voltage-controlled oscillator configured to generate the oscillation signal according to an input voltage,
wherein the current value of at least one of the first current source and the second current source is adjusted according to the input voltage.

4. The oscillator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inductors comprise a first inductor and a second inductor, and the transistor pair comprises:
a first transistor, having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the first inductor, the second terminal is coupled to the first current source, and the control terminal is coupled to the cross-coupled transistor pair; and
a second transistor, having a first tenninal, a second terminal and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the second inductor, the second terminal is coupled to the first current source, and the control terminal is coupled to the cross-coupled transistor pair,
wherein at least one of the first terminal of the first transistor and the first terminal of the second transistor serves as an output terminal, and the voltage-controlled oscillator outputs the oscillation signal through the output terminal.

5. The oscillator as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the inductors further comprise a third inductor and a fourth inductor, and the cross-coupled transistor pair comprises:
a third transistor, having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the third inductor and the control terminal of the first transistor, and the second terminal is coupled to the second current source; and
a fourth transistor, having a first terminal, a second ten iinal and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the fourth inductor and the control terminal of the second transistor, and the second terminal is coupled to the second current source,
wherein the control terminal of the third transistor is coupled to the first terminal of the fourth transistor, and the control terminal of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first terminal of the third transistor.

6. The oscillator as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the first inductor and the third inductor form a first mutual inductor, the second inductor and the fourth inductor form a second mutual inductor, and the first mutual inductor and the second mutual inductor are physically isolated.

7. The oscillator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor circuit adjusts the current value of at least one of the first current source and the second current source by using at least one of a third current source and a fourth current source.

8. The oscillator as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the third current source is selected from one of a current source proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) and a current source complementary to absolute temperature (CTAT), and the fourth current source is selected from another one of the current source proportional to absolute temperature and the current source complementary to absolute temperature.

9. The oscillator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the current value of at least one of the first current source and the second current source is adjusted according to a process parameter.

10. The oscillator as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
a compensation circuit, coupled to at least one of the first current source and the second current source, configured to receive a compensation signal, and outputting a compensation current according to the compensation signal, so as to adjust the current value of at least one of the first current source and the second current source.

11. A clock generator, configured to generate a clock signal, the clock generator comprising:
the oscillator as claimed in claim 1 , configured to generate the oscillation signal to serve as the clock signal.

12. A method for generating a clock signal, configured to control an oscillator to generate an oscillation signal to serve as the clock signal, wherein the oscillator comprises a transistor pair and a cross-coupled transistor pair, the method for generating the clock signal comprises:
determining a first transconductance of the transistor pair according to a first current source, and determining a second transconductance of the cross-coupled transistor pair according to a second current source;
determining a frequency of the oscillation signal according to the first transconductance and the second transconductance; and
generating a temperature parameter, and adjusting a current value of at least one of the first cuiTent source and the second current source according to the temperature parameter,
wherein the transistor pair and the cross-coupled transistor pair are mutually coupled through a plurality of inductors, the transistor pair is coupled to the first current source, the first transconductance is changed in response to the current value of the first current source, the cross-coupled transistor pair is coupled to the second current source, and the second transconductance is changed in response to the current value of the second current source.

13. The method for generating the clock signal as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the oscillator is a crystal-free oscillator.

14. The method for generating the clock signal as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the oscillator is a voltage-controlled oscillator configured to generate the oscillation signal according to an input voltage,
wherein the step of determining the first transconductance of the transistor pair according to the first current source, and determining the second transconductance of the cross-coupled transistor pair according to the second current source comprises:
adjusting the current value of at least one of the first current source and the second current source according to the input voltage, so as to correspondingly change at least one of the first transconductance of the transistor pair and the second transconductance of the cross-coupled transistor pair.

15. The method for generating the clock signal as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the step of adjusting the current value of at least one of the first current source and the second current source according to the input voltage, so as to correspondingly change at least one of the first transconductance of the transistor pai

Assignees

• Novatek Microelectronics Corp

Inventors

• Chang Chih-Hsiang
• Chen Chih-Hung

Classifications

• H03L1/022 Primary

  by indirect stabilisation, i.e. by generating an electrical correction signal which is a function of the temperature (H03L1/021 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03B5/04

  Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. power supply, load, temperature · CPC title

• H03B2200/0038

  including a current mirror · CPC title

• H03B5/1296

  the feedback circuit comprising a transformer · CPC title

• H03B5/1237

  comprising means for varying the frequency of the generator · CPC title