Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Colpitts Oscillators [Applications Note]

Oscillators are integral to the design of modern communications systems. Generally, these oscillators act as part of a synthesizer and are voltage controlled, meaning that the frequency is determined by tuning diodes, frequently called varactors. The applied dc voltage varies the frequency. For high-performance circuits, the Colpitts oscillator is most frequently selected [1]-[30].