Alfio Zanchi

                 The paper deals with the Single Sideband to Carrier Ratio (SSCR)
                 dependence on the oscillation amplitude of a fully integrated LC-tuned
                 voltage-controlled oscillator, fabricated in high-speed bipolar technology. As
                 the oscillation amplitude increases, the SSCR reaches a minimum and then
                 steeply rises, setting a limit to the range where better performance can be
                 traded against higher power dissipation. This dependence is fully explained by
                 taking into account that noise and disturbances moate the phase delay due
                 to the active elements. Experimental and simulation procedures for the
                 evaluation of this effect are presented and their impact on the circuit
                 performance is discussed.

                 voltage-controlled oscillators; phase noise; LC-tuned VCO; single sideband
                 to carrier ratio; high-speed bipolar IC; power dissipation; phase delay; 
                 active element.