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Title: Frequency jumps in single chip microwave LC oscillators

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4904417· OSTI ID:22395529
; ;  [1]
  1. Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015 (Switzerland)

We report on the experimental observation of oscillation frequency jumps in microwave LC oscillators fabricated using standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technologies. The LC oscillators, operating at a frequency of about 20 GHz, consist of a single turn planar coil, a metal-oxide-metal capacitor, and two cross-coupled metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors used as negative resistance network. At 300 K as well as at 77 K, the oscillation frequency is a continuous function of the oscillator bias voltage. At 4 K, frequency jumps as large as 30 MHz are experimentally observed. This behavior is tentatively attributed to the emission and capture of single electrons from defects and dopant atoms.

OSTI ID:
22395529
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 24; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English