AUXILIARY VARACTOR FOR TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION

Abstract

Techniques for compensating for the effects of temperature change on voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) frequency are disclosed. In an embodiment, an auxiliary varactor is coupled to an LC tank of the VCO. The auxiliary varactor has a capacitance controlled by a temperature-dependant control voltage to minimize the overall change in VCO frequency with temperature. Techniques for generating the control voltage using digital and analog means are further disclosed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO's), and more particularly, to techniques for addressing frequency shift of VCO's due to temperature change.

BACKGROUND

A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is an electrical oscillator designed to generate a signal having an oscillation frequency controlled by a voltage input. A VCO may be implemented using a varactor (i.e., a voltage variable capacitor) in an LC tank resonator coupled to an oscillator circuit. By varying the capacitance of the varactor using a control voltage, the oscillation frequency of the VCO can be controlled.

During normal operation, temperature changes in the VCO circuit may lead to unwanted deviations of the oscillation frequency from the expected frequency. It would be desirable to have techniques to compensate for deviations in the VCO oscillation frequency caused by temperature change.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for adjusting the oscillation frequency of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), a temperature change in the VCO causing a variation in the VCO oscillation frequency, the method comprising sensing a temperature of the VCO; coupling an auxiliary varactor to the VCO, a change in the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor causing a change in the oscillation frequency of the VCO; controlling the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor using a control voltage; and adjusting the control voltage based on the sensed temperature such that the variation in the VCO oscillation frequency due to VCO temperature change is reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art VCO design employing an oscillator circuit 100 coupled to an LC tank.

FIG. 1A depicts an example relationship between the control voltage Vadj and the VCO oscillation frequency.

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment according to the present disclosure, wherein an auxiliary varactor Caux is provided to counter the effects of temperature change in the VCO.

FIG. 3 depicts a generalized embodiment according to the present disclosure for generating a signal Vaux to control the auxiliary varactor Caux.

FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of circuitry for generating the voltage Vaux directly in the analog domain according to a function that varies proportionally with temperature.

FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of a method according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art VCO design employing an oscillator circuit 100 coupled to an LC tank 110. A control voltage Vadj controls the capacitance of varactor C in the LC tank. This controls the LC tank resonant frequency and, hence, the VCO oscillation frequency. The varactor C may comprise a plurality of constituent capacitors, some or all of whose capacitances may be controlled by one or more control signals Vadj.

For example, in an embodiment of an analog VCO, the oscillating frequency may be coarse tuned by selectively switching on and off a bank of capacitors based on a set of digital control voltages. The frequency may then be fined tuned by controlling the capacitance of a varactor using an analog voltage. In this embodiment, the signal Vadj may comprise a plurality of digital signals to control the coarse tuning, and an analog signal to control the fine tuning. Alternatively, in an embodiment of a digital VCO, or a DCO (digitally controlled oscillator), both coarse tuning and fine tuning of the operating capacitance may be controlled using digital signals. Note in this specification and in the claims, the term voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) will be understood to encompass both analog VCO's and digital VCO's (DCO's). One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the techniques disclosed herein may readily be applied to both digital and analog VCO's.

FIG. 1A depicts an example relationship between the control voltage Vadj and the VCO oscillation frequency. For a given control voltage Vadj=V1 and VCO temperature T1, the VCO oscillation frequency is shown to be F1. Further depicted is that a change ΔT in VCO temperature from T1 to T2 causes the VCO oscillation frequency to shift from F1 to F2. The shift in frequency may be caused by temperature-dependent changes in the varactor, the oscillator circuit, or any other mechanism, and is generally undesirable for VCO operation.

Note that the relationship between Vadj and frequency in FIG. 1A is shown for illustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the techniques of the present disclosure may be applied to an arbitrary functional mapping between Vadj and VCO frequency. Furthermore, VCO frequency change may be directly related to temperature change, inversely related, or have any arbitrary relationship different from that shown in FIG. 1A. For ease of illustration, the present disclosure may refer to an embodiment wherein the VCO oscillation frequency change is inversely proportional to temperature change. One of ordinary skill in the art will realize, however, that the techniques of the present disclosure may readily be applied to embodiments wherein VCO oscillation frequency has a different relationship with temperature than explicitly described herein.

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment according to the present disclosure, wherein an auxiliary varactor Caux is provided to counter the effects of temperature change on the VCO frequency. In FIG. 2, an auxiliary varactor Caux is coupled in parallel with the main capacitance C in the LC tank of VCO 100.

In FIG. 2, the capacitance of Caux is controlled by a compensating control voltage Vaux. In an embodiment, Vaux is designed to vary over temperature so that the capacitance of Caux changes to compensate for temperature-dependent VCO frequency changes. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, if VCO oscillation frequency is inversely related to temperature, then it would be desirable to increase the capacitance of Caux when temperature decreases, and conversely, to decrease the capacitance of Caux when temperature increases.

One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that in an alternative embodiment (not shown), the auxiliary varactor may be coupled in series with the main capacitor C, or in any way that allows the overall capacitance of the LC tank to be affected by the auxiliary varactor. In such embodiments, the relationship between Caux and T may be modified accordingly. These embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts a generalized embodiment according to the present disclosure for generating a signal Vaux to control the auxiliary varactor Caux. In FIG. 3, a temperature sensor 300 indicates the measured temperature T of the VCO. Voltage generator 310 generates the voltage Vaux based on T. The functional relationship between voltage Vaux and T may be determined by the expected dependence of VCO oscillation frequency on temperature. Such expected dependence may be derived, e.g., using computer circuit simulation, data from lab measurement, or any other mechanism known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In an embodiment, the functional relationship between Vaux and T may be chosen to allow the capacitance of varactor Caux to compensate for the expected dependence of VCO oscillation frequency on temperature.

In an embodiment, the relationship between Vaux and temperature T may be designed according to the following guidelines (Guidelines 1):

$\mathrm{If}\left(\frac{\Delta F\left(T\right)}{\Delta T}\right)\left(\frac{\Delta C_{\mathrm{aux}}\left(V_{\mathrm{aux}}\right)}{\Delta V_{\mathrm{aux}}}\right)>0,\mathrm{then}\frac{\Delta V_{\mathrm{aux}}\left(T\right)}{\Delta T}>0,\mathrm{and}$ $\mathrm{If}\left(\frac{\Delta F\left(T\right)}{\Delta T}\right)\left(\frac{\Delta C_{\mathrm{aux}}\left(V_{\mathrm{aux}}\right)}{\Delta V_{\mathrm{aux}}}\right)<0,\mathrm{then}\frac{\Delta V_{\mathrm{aux}}\left(T\right)}{\Delta T}<0;$

wherein

$\left(\frac{\Delta F\left(T\right)}{\Delta T}\right)$

is the expected change in oscillator frequency due to temperature divided by the corresponding temperature change,

$\left(\frac{\Delta C_{\mathrm{aux}}\left(V_{\mathrm{aux}}\right)}{\Delta V_{\mathrm{aux}}}\right)$

is the expected change in auxiliary capacitance due to Vaux divided by the corresponding change in Vaux, and

$\frac{\Delta V_{\mathrm{aux}}\left(T\right)}{\Delta T}$

is the desired relationship between change in Vaux and change in temperature T. Note the relationships in Guidelines 1 are given for illustrative purposes only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure to any particular relationship between Vaux and T.

One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the measured temperature T may be an analog or digital signal. The voltage generator 310 may be implemented directly using analog circuitry to synthesize the desired functional relationship, or it may be implemented digitally using, e.g., a look-up table (LUT) or other digital means. In an embodiment, the voltage generator 310 may receive an analog representation of T, digitize it using an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), implement the desired relationship in the digital domain, and convert the digitally generated signal back to the analog domain as Vaux. In an alternative embodiment, the voltage generator 310 may supply Vaux as one or more digital control signals, and Caux may be implemented as a set of switchable capacitors controlled by Vaux.

FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of circuitry for generating the voltage Vaux directly in the analog domain according to a function that varies proportionally with temperature. Also depicted in FIG. 4 is a specific embodiment of the auxiliary varactor Caux 400 in an LC tank of a VCO.

In FIG. 4, a varactor Caux 400 is controlled by control voltage Vaux. In the embodiment shown, the varactor Caux 400 is implemented as an NMOS varactor, wherein the varactor control voltage is inversely related to the varactor capacitance. Varactor Caux 400 is coupled in parallel with a main varactor C 410 controlled by the VCO control voltage Vadj. The parallel varactors are coupled to the VCO. In an embodiment, an additional set of digitally controlled capacitors (not shown) may also be provided for coarse tuning.

In FIG. 4, control voltage Vaux is generated by temperature sensor/voltage generator 450, and coupled to varactor Caux by RC filter 420. In the embodiment shown, the RC filter 420 is provided to remove high-frequency noise from Vaux before coupling to Caux. Voltage generator 450 includes a first current source 430 and a second current source 440. In an embodiment, the magnitude of the current generated by the first current source 430 is designed to be dependent on the temperature T, while the magnitude of the current generated by the second current source 440 is designed to be independent of temperature. In an embodiment, the second current source 440 may be a bandgap current source well-known in the art. The current sources are coupled so that the difference in the currents generated by 430 and 440 flows as current I_diff.

In an embodiment, the first current source can be designed to generate a current having magnitude directly proportional to absolute temperature, or PTAT (Equation 1):

βI_ptat(T)=αI_bg(1+T_C(T−T₀));

wherein I_ptat(T) is the magnitude of the base current generated by first current source 430, I_bg is the (temperature-independent) magnitude of the base current generated by band-gap current source 440, the coefficients α and β are current multipliers selectable by an externally supplied control signal, T is the temperature in Celsius, T_C is the temperature coefficient of the first current source 430, and T₀ is a reference temperature fixed by the design of the current source. In an embodiment, T₀ may be 25 degrees Celsius.

The current I_diff may be expressed as follows (Equations 2):

$\begin{array}{c}{I}_{\mathrm{diff}}=\beta I_{\mathrm{ptat}}-\alpha I_{\mathrm{bg}}\\ =\beta I_{\mathrm{bg}}\left(1+T_C\left(T-T_0\right)\right)-\alpha I_{\mathrm{bg}}\\ =\left(\beta -\alpha \right)I_{\mathrm{bg}}\left[1+\frac{\beta }{\beta -\alpha }T_C\left(T-T_0\right)\right];\end{array}$

wherein the term

$\frac{\beta }{\beta -\alpha }$

acts to modify the slope of I_diff's dependence on temperature T.

In an embodiment, the current multipliers α and β may be implemented by selectively activating a plurality of parallel-coupled current sources. In an embodiment, the values of β and α may be programmed to modify the temperature coefficient T_C of I_diff (i.e., the first-order dependence of I_diff on temperature T) as follows (Table 1):

Programmable code Effective TC
α = 1, β = 3      1.5TC
α = 2, β = 4      2TC
α = 3, β = 5      2.5TC
α = 4, β = 6      3TC

In FIG. 4, a constant resistance R1 is provided to convert the temperature-dependent I_diff into the voltage Vaux, i.e., Vaux =I_diff*R1. In an embodiment, the resistance R1 may be implemented as a poly resistor, a metal resistor, a diffusion resistor, or any other type of resistor known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the slope of Vaux versus temperature may also be controlled by selecting R1 from one of several values. Note in an embodiment wherein only the sign of

$\frac{\Delta V_{\mathrm{aux}}\left(T\right)}{\Delta T}$

according to Guidelines 1 is controlled, the resistance R1 need not meet strict accuracy tolerances.

Note the embodiment of FIG. 4 is shown for illustrative purposes only, and is not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure to any particular method of generating Vaux, nor to any particular implementation of varactor Caux. In alternative embodiments, the auxiliary varactor could be connected across the tank by any means, for example, using AC coupling capacitors.

Note a VCO employing the techniques described above may be incorporated into, e.g., a phase-locked loop (PLL), to assist the PLL in locking onto a desired frequency in the presence of temperature variations.

FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of a method according to the present disclosure. In FIG. 5, at step 500, the VCO temperature is sensed by, e.g., a temperature sensor, or other temperature-dependent circuitry according to the present disclosure. At step 510, an auxiliary varactor is coupled to the VCO, such that the frequency of the VCO may be adjusted by the adjusting the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor. At step 520, the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor is controlled using a control signal. At step 530, the control signal is adjusted in a manner so as to reduce the temperature-dependent variation in the VCO oscillation frequency. In an embodiment, the control signal may be generated as previously described herein with reference to FIG. 4. In alternative embodiments, the control signal may be generated using any manner derivable by one of ordinary skill in the art so as to reduce the temperature-dependent variation in the VCO oscillation frequency. Such embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

The techniques described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in hardware, the techniques may be realized using digital hardware, analog hardware or a combination thereof. If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized at least in part by a computer-program product that includes a computer readable medium on which one or more instructions or code is stored.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), FLASH memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

The instructions or code associated with a computer-readable medium of the computer program product may be executed by a computer, e.g., by one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors, ASICs, FPGAs, or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry.

In this specification and in the claims, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

A number of aspects and examples have been described. However, various modifications to these examples are possible, and the principles presented herein may be applied to other aspects as well. These and other aspects are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting the oscillation frequency of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), a temperature change in the VCO causing a variation in the VCO oscillation frequency, the method comprising: sensing a temperature of the VCO;coupling an auxiliary varactor to the VCO, a change in the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor causing a change in the oscillation frequency of the VCO;controlling the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor using a control signal; andadjusting the control signal based on the sensed temperature such that the variation in the VCO oscillation frequency due to VCO temperature change is reduced.

2. The method of claim 1, the VCO comprising an LC tank resonator, the coupling an auxiliary varactor to the VCO comprising coupling the auxiliary varactor in series with a voltage-controlled capacitor of the LC tank resonator.

3. The method of claim 1, the VCO comprising an LC tank resonator, the coupling an auxiliary varactor to the VCO comprising coupling the auxiliary varactor in parallel with a voltage-controlled capacitor of the LC tank resonator.

4. The method of claim 1, the VCO being an analog VCO.

5. The method of claim 1, the VCO being a digital VCO (DCO).

6. The method of claim 3, the control signal being a control voltage, the adjusting the control voltage comprising varying the control voltage proportionally to absolute temperature.

7. The method of claim 6, the varying the control voltage comprising providing a first current source generating a first current, the first current being proportional to absolute temperature.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising increasing the first current by a first multiplicative factor.

9. The method of claim 7, the varying the control voltage further comprising providing a second current source coupled in series with the first current source, the second current source providing a second current constant over temperature, the difference between the first and second currents generating the control voltage.

10. The method of claim 9, the second current source being a bandgap current source.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising increasing the current provided by the second current source by a second multiplicative factor.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising low-pass filtering the difference between the first and second currents.

13. The method of claim 1, the adjusting the control signal comprising: determining a digital control value corresponding to the sensed temperature of the VCO;converting the digital control value to an analog control signal for the auxiliary varactor.

14. The method of claim 13, the determining a digital control value comprising referencing a look-up table, said look-up table mapping each sensed temperature to a control signal.

15. The method of claim 1, the adjusting the control signal comprising: determining at least one digital control value corresponding to the sensed temperature of the VCO; andsupplying the at least one digital control value to vary the capacitance of the varactor, the varactor comprising a set of switchable capacitances.

16. A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) having an oscillation frequency adjustable by at least one control voltage, a temperature change in the VCO causing a change in the oscillation frequency, the VCO comprising: an auxiliary varactor coupled to the VCO, a change in the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor causing a change in the oscillation frequency of the VCO, the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor controlled by a control signal, the control signal adjusted based on a sensed temperature of the VCO such that the variation in VCO oscillation frequency due to VCO temperature change is reduced.

17. The VCO of claim 16, further comprising an LC tank resonator, the auxiliary varactor coupled in series with a voltage-controlled capacitor of the LC tank resonator.

18. The VCO of claim 16, the VCO comprising an LC tank resonator, the auxiliary varactor coupled in parallel with a voltage-controlled capacitor of the LC tank resonator.

19. The VCO of claim 16, the VCO being an analog VCO.

20. The VCO of claim 16, the VCO being a digital VCO (DCO).

21. The VCO of claim 18, the control signal being a control voltage, the control voltage adjusted by varying the control voltage proportionally to absolute temperature.

22. The VCO of claim 21, further comprising a first current source generating a first current, the first current being proportional to absolute temperature, the control voltage generated by the first current.

23. The VCO of claim 22, further comprising a second current source coupled in series with the first current source, the second current source providing a second current constant over temperature, the difference between the first and second currents generating the control voltage.

24. The VCO of claim 23, the second current source being a bandgap current source.

25. The VCO of claim 23, at least one of the magnitudes of the first and second current sources adjustable by a multiplicative factor.

26. The VCO of claim 23, further comprising a low-pass filter coupled between the current sources and the auxiliary varactor.

27. The VCO of claim 16, further comprising: a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the VCO;a processor for converting the sensed temperature to a digital control signal;a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for generating an output signal corresponding to the digital control signal, the output signal coupled to the control signal.

28. The VCO of claim 27, the processor comprising a look-up table mapping each sensed temperature to an output signal.

29. The VCO of claim 16, further comprising: a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the VCO;a processor for converting the sensed temperature to at least one digital control signal;the at least one digital control signal controlling the capacitance of the varactor, the varactor comprising at least one switchable capacitance.

30. A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) having an oscillation frequency adjustable by at least one control voltage, a temperature change in the VCO causing a change in the oscillation frequency, the VCO comprising: means for sensing a temperature of the VCO;means for coupling an auxiliary varactor to the VCO, a change in the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor causing a change in the oscillation frequency of the VCO;means for controlling the capacitance of the auxiliary varactor using a control signal; andmeans for adjusting the control signal based on the sensed temperature such that the variation in the VCO oscillation frequency due to VCO temperature change is reduced.

31. The VCO of claim 30, the VCO comprising an LC tank resonator, the means for coupling an auxiliary varactor to the VCO comprising means for coupling the auxiliary varactor in series with a voltage-controlled capacitor of the LC tank resonator.

32. The VCO of claim 30, the VCO comprising an LC tank resonator, the means for coupling an auxiliary varactor to the VCO comprising means for coupling the auxiliary varactor in parallel with a voltage-controlled capacitor of the LC tank resonator.

33. The VCO of claim 30, the VCO being an analog VCO.

34. The VCO of claim 30, the VCO being a digital VCO (DCO).

35. The VCO of claim 32, the means for adjusting the control signal comprising means for varying a control voltage proportionally to absolute temperature.

36. A computer program product for specifying a relationship between a measured temperature of a VCO and a control signal for an auxiliary capacitor in the VCO, a temperature change in the VCO causing a change in the oscillation frequency, the product comprising: computer-readable medium comprising:code for causing a computer to generate a control signal for the auxiliary capacitor such that the variation in the VCO oscillation frequency due to VCO temperature change is reduced.