Silicon-based terahertz signal generation with multi-phase sub-harmonic injection locking technique

Abstract

This thesis presents a multi-phase injection locking (IL) technique and its application in the locking range extension in multi-phase injection locking oscillators (ILOs) for Terahertz (THz) signal generation. The proposed technique can significantly increase the frequency locking range of a multi-phase injection locking oscillator compared to the conventional single-phase injection locking scheme. Based on the multi-phase IL technique and sub-harmonic ILOs, an “active frequency multiplier chain” architecture and a multi-ring system layout topology are also proposed to achieve scalable THz signal generation. As proof of concept, a cascaded 3-stage 3-phase 2nd-order sub-harmonic ILO chain is implemented in the IBM 9HP SiGe BiCMOS process. The design achieves a maximum output power of -16.6dBm at 498GHz, a phase noise of -87dBc/ Hz at 1MHz offset, and a total 5.1% frequency tuning range from 485.1GHz to 510.7GHz, which is the largest frequency tuning range among all the reported silicon-based THz oscillator sources in the 0.5THz band.