Development and measurement of 10 GHz oscillators with ultra-low phase noise (original) (raw)

Precision noise measurements and oscillator frequency stabilization

2011 XXXth URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, 2011

This paper summarizes recent advances in two closely related research fields: precision noise measurements and generation of low-phase noise microwave signals. The progress achieved in those fields over the past decade was largely associated with the applications of microwave circuit interferometry, which is a powerful noise measurement technique born out of the quest to detect gravitational waves in the beginning of 90's.

Latest developments in ultra-stable microwave oscillators at FEMTO-ST Institute

2006

A growing number of scientific or technical applications requires very high frequency stability oscillators. Thus a frequency stability of the order of 1× 10-14 at short term is now required for metrology, future space programs and some tests of fundamental physics. Besides any reduction in oscillators phase noise will improve radar systems and phase noise measurement sensitivity. These new requirements impose to surpass the performances of the state-of-the-art quartz crystal oscillators. Such a breakthough can ...

Single loop phase noise measurement of microwave oscillators

Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, 2014

This work describes a simplified procedure to measure ultralow phase-noise in microwave oscillators using the delay properties of high quality factor cavities. Measurement procedures are achieved

Low-noise x-band oscillator and amplifier technologies: comparison and status

Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium and Exposition, 2005.

This study compares the phase noise of different classes of oscillators and amplifiers that work at X-band. Bestin-class results are presented based on recent measurements at NIST. In particular, comparisons are made between mature technologies of multiplied quartz, sapphire dielectric in whispering gallery mode (WGM), and air-dielectric-resonator stabilized RF oscillators in contrast to various configurations of optical electronic oscillators (OEO), cavity-stabilized, and atomstabilized optical-domain oscillators and femtosecond-lasercomb frequency synthesizers. This study also reports the status of classes of low-noise X-band amplifiers, since high-spectralpurity oscillators are constrained by amplifiers to varying degrees. Best-available low-noise X-band commercial amplifiers are compared with new feedforward, feedback, and array-gain test devices. Straight HBT (heterojunction bipolar transistors) and SiGe HBT technologies are compared in terms of phase noise. Results are for an operating frequency of 10 GHz.

Development of Ultra Low Phase Noise X-Band Oscillators

2006 IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium and Exposition, 2006

This paper reports on the design and the measurement of low phase noise X-band oscillators combining a room temperature high-Q whispering gallery mode (WGM) sapphire resonator and an ultra-low phase noise sustaining amplifier. The resonator thermal configuration has been optimized leading to a thermal frequency sensitivity of-0,05 ppm/K. Compact microstrip DBR (Dual Behavior Resonators) filters have been realized to suppress cavity spurious modes. High performance commercially available amplifiers have been tested. Owing to the low phase noise, the measurement of oscillators requires crosscorrelation and some unusual solutions. X-band oscillators typical phase noise as low as-36 dB.rad 2 .Hz at 1 Hz Fourier frequency,-145 dB.rad 2 /Hz at 10 kHz offset and-160 dB.rad 2 /Hz at 100 kHz from the carrier have been measured. Parallely, two excellent and original double stage amplifiers based on a Si-SiGe transistors cascade (Power gain=8.2 dB-Phase noise performances :-168 dB.rad 2 /Hz at 100kHz offset) have been designed, precisely modelled (non-linear and noise modelling) and optimized thanks to dedicated CAD techniques.

Analysis of stabilization circuits for phase-noise reduction in microwave oscillators

IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 2005

Two configurations for oscillator phase-noise reduction using stabilization circuits have been demonstrated in the literature. One of them is based on the self-injection of the oscillator signal, after it passes through a long delay line or a high-qualityfactor resonator. The second one is a stabilization loop, containing a frequency discriminator. In this paper, an in-depth analytical comparison of these two configurations, respectively based on injection locking and phase-locking principles, is presented. Analytical expressions are provided for the variation of the steady-state solution and its phase noise versus the parameters of the feedback network. The expressions are rigorously validated with harmonic balance. Instabilities reported by other authors are investigated through bifurcation analysis. The new expressions enable a good understanding of the amplitude and frequency jumps and sharp phasenoise maxima obtained simulations and measurements versus the feedback parameters. A practical 5-GHz voltage-controlled oscillator has also been implemented, for validation purposes.

Design and Performance of a Digital Phase Lock Loop for Gunn Oscillators

2011

The digital phase lock loop described in this paper has been in use on the Submillimeter Array (SMA) front-end receivers for over a decade and has been a key element in obtaining all of the high quality images that have been published from this telescope over the years. The technical achievements enabled by these devices include the first phase closure observations in the 690 GHz band, the first attempts at band-to-band phase transfer at submillimeter wavelengths, and the first successful demonstration of interferometry using a fully photonic millimeterwave local oscillator. Copies of these devices are also in place at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in support of the eSMA project and submillimeter VLBI experiments. Additional units of this design were used by the Princeton Millimeter Interferometer and the Microwave Anisotropy Telescope. In total, over three dozen units have been constructed and used in astronomical studies. In this paper, we briefly describe the background theory, design, performance, and calibration steps, and provide useful testing and repair information.

Phase-Noise Reduction in Self-Injection Locked Oscillators Using Slow-Wave Structures

2019 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), 2019

An analysis of self-injection locked oscillators using a slow-wave structure for phase-noise reduction is presented. This structure is the key component of a feedback network, added to an existing oscillator and providing a stable self-injection locking signal. The unit cell of the slow-wave structure is based on a recently proposed configuration, made up of an open-ended stub and a Schiffman section. A tuning capacitor is introduced as an additional parameter, enabling an adjustment of the structure response at the desired oscillation frequency. The circuit solutions are analyzed by means of a semi-analytical formulation that incorporates the results of an electromagnetic simulation of the structure. The formulation enables a prediction of multivalued parameter regions, inherent to the long delay, which are more controllable than in the case of continuous transmission lines. An analytical derivation of the phase-noise spectral density is presented, which relates the phase-noise reduction with respect to the original freerunning oscillator to the group delay of the self-injection network. The analysis and synthesis method has been applied to an oscillator at 2.75 GHz.