HMC511LP5E

VCOs (Voltage Controlled Oscillators)

Voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) are electrical circuits that have an output frequency that can be changed by changing the voltage applied to its control terminal. The output is generally a square wave or sinusoidal wave for amplitude control and the duty cycle can be adjusted by duty cycle control phenomenon. The frequency range of a VCO can be up to 10GHz with amplitudes ranging from nanovolts to 100mV depending on the application.

One such example of a voltage controlled oscillator is the HMC511LP5E. This device is a high frequency wideband VCO that operates in the frequency range of 1 – 17 GHz. This device offers reliability, repeatability and excellent phase noise performance. It is manufactured using a high resolution phase locked loop circuit that provides fast switching low jitter and low harmonic content.

Application Field

The HMC511LP5E can be used for a variety of applications such as military and commercial equipment where reliable ultra wideband performance is required. It has been used for radar applications, telecommunication systems, navigation systems, wireless communication systems and wireless networks. The device is also suitable for base band applications where the performance requirements are higher such as phase locked loop based closed loop antenna control.

Working Principle

The HMC511LP5E operates as an open loop voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) by means of a high resolution phase locked loop circuit. It relies on the linearity of the current-voltage transfer function of the device to accurately adjust the output frequency. The output frequency is primarily determined by the amplitude and duty cycle of the control voltage applied to the control terminal. The inductors used in the circuit ensure that the output frequency is locked to the input frequency while providing the necessary isolation.

In addition to the voltage control effect, the HMC511LP5E also has an input tuning resistor which can be used to fine tune the frequency response. The input tuning resistor adjusts the gain of the oscillator by changing the internal electrical gate length of the circuit. This allows the frequency response to be more accurately adjusted when the device is operated within the desired range.

The output of the HMC511LP5E can be tuned in a variety of ways, depending on the application. For example, if the output is used for an antenna array steering mechanism, the gain of the output signal can be adjusted by varying the amplitude and duty cycle of the control signal. With this approach, the output tuning resistor can be used to fine tune the response of the antenna array.

The HMC511LP5E provides high performance, repeatability and long term stability due to the high loop gain of the phase locked loop. The device is also stable over a wide temperature range and is reliable in a number of different applications.