Energy-Efficient Gain Cell and Its Applications in the Limiting Amplifier and Ring Oscillator for Gbps Communications

Abstract

This paper presents a low-power, high gain-bandwidth product (GBW) gain cell for gigabits-per-second communications. Based on this gain cell, a large GBW limiting amplifier (LA) and two types of high oscillation-frequency ring oscillators (ROs) are implemented with good energy efficiencies. Fabricated in the 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m CMOS process, the proposed LA can support 1.25[Formula: see text]Gbps data-rate with a measured GBW of 338[Formula: see text]GHz under 5[Formula: see text]mW. The proposed single- and multi-loop ROs obtain a simulated typical oscillation frequency of 5.26[Formula: see text]GHz and 6.96[Formula: see text]GHz, respectively, under 6.2 mW, which is less than one-eighth the power consumption of published ROs at similar frequencies in the same process.