A reference circuit, an oscillator architecture that includes the reference circuit and a method for operating the reference circuit are described. In one embodiment, the reference circuit includes a voltage reference generator configured to generate a reference voltage and a current reference generator configured to generate a reference current based on the reference voltage. The current reference generator includes a level shifter circuit configured to generate intermediate voltages based on the reference voltage, a first current reference circuit configured to generate intermediate currents based on the intermediate voltages, where the intermediate currents are correlated to the reference voltage, and a second current reference circuit configured to combine the intermediate currents to generate the reference current. Other embodiments are also described.