Behavioral Analysis and Design of K-Band Low-Phase-Noise Digitally Controlled Oscillators in 22 nm FD-SOI for 76 - 81 GHz Automotive Radars ; Analyse comportementale et conception d'oscillateurs à commande numérique à faible bruit de phase en bande K et implémentés en technologie 22 nm FD-SOI pour les radars automobiles à 76-81 GHz

The millimeter-wave radar is indispensable for realizing vehicle safety and autonomous driving functions, making it one of the current research hotspots. The main objective of this thesis is to implement a K-band low-phase-noise digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) with a frequency tuning range of more than 20 % for an all-digital phase-locked loop (ADPLL), which will be further applied to 76 – 81 GHz frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) automotive radars.Two different solutions are proposed:The first is a triple-bank DCO (T-DCO). Its coarse-tuning bank is mainly used to compensate for the PVT variations, while the medium- and fine-tuning banks work together to cover the frequency modulation bandwidth, thus requiring a frequency overlap of more than 15 % like conventional DCOs. Thanks to the proposed novel back-gate-based fine-tuning structure, the T-DCO achieves a fine frequency resolution of 1.38 MHz at a carrier frequency of approximately 20 GHz.The second is a dual-bank DCO (D-DCO), which solely relies on a large 10-bit fine-tuning bank to generate frequency-modulated signals. This original approach allows us to address the issue of frequency overlap and calibration in multi-bank DCOs (more than three frequency-tuning banks, similar to the T-DCO) from the design level rather than only from the algorithm level, thereby making it more suitable for FMCW automotive radars.Meanwhile, the D-DCO achieves a fine frequency resolution of 2.1 MHz and a fine-tuning range of 2 GHz by employing a novel customized MOM capacitor of 973 aF. Furthermore, both T-DCO and D-DCO are implemented in an advanced 22 nm FD-SOI process, achieving the best-in-class phase noise lower than -110 dBc/Hz over the entire frequency range at 1 MHz frequency offset. ; Les radars à ondes millimétriques sont indispensables dans la réalisation de fonctions de sécurité des véhicules et pour la conduite autonome, ce qui en fait l’un des domaines de recherche les plus en vogue actuellement. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est de mettre en ...