LC Oscillators

• LC parallel resonant circuit

• used for high frequency domain
• frequency selective feedback network
Thompson’s
relation

1
f0 =
2π LC

How will be connected the LC circuit and the basic amplifier?

Three points oscillator, one transistor amplifier

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The basic amplifier is an inverting one (CE), so the divider Z2, Z3
must introduce a -180o phase shift; Z2, Z3 will have opposite signs.

Z3 and Z1 should be the same type to obtain an LC parallel

resonant circuit between collector and base.

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 C1C3
C= L = L1 + L3
C1 + C3
1 1
f0 = f0 =
2π L2C 2π LC2

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Optional
+VPS
+VPS

Colpitts Hartley

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Quartz-
crystal C p >> C s
oscillator
R − very low value
can be neglected

•Series resonance
1
symbol fs =
equivalent 2π LCs
circuit
• Parallel resonance range: tens of KHz … hundreds of MHz

Cs C p 1
C= ≈ Cs fp = ≈ fs
Cs + C p 2π LC
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Optional
+VPS
quartz-crystal
sinusoidal oscillator

• advantage: very stable frequency, high quality factor

• disadvantage: fixed frequency 6/7
Quartz is amongst one of the most common minerals in the
Earth's continental crust. It has a hexagonal crystal structure
made of trigonal crystallized silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2)
The crystal oscillator circuit sustains oscillation by taking a
voltage signal from the quartz resonator, amplifying it, and
feeding it back to the resonator. The rate of expansion and
contraction of the quartz is the resonant frequency, and is
determined by the cut and size of the crystal.
During startup, the circuit around the crystal applies a random noise
AC signal to it, and purely by chance, a tiny fraction of the noise will
be at the resonant frequency of the crystal. The crystal will therefore
start oscillating in synchrony with that signal. As the oscillator
amplifies the signals coming out of the crystal, the crystal's frequency
will become stronger, eventually dominating the output of the
oscillator. Natural resistance in the circuit and in the quartz crystal
filter out all the unwanted frequencies
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