A 2.4-GHz, Sub-1-V, 2.8-dB NF, 475-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$ </tex-math> </inline-formula>W Dual-Path Noise and Nonlinearity Cancelling LNA for Ultra-Low-Power Radios

Abstract

A 0.7-V, 2.4-GHz low-power LNA combines a 1:3 front-end balun with dual-path noise and nonlinearity cancellation for the improved noise performance at low powers. In traditional noise cancellation techniques, only the noise of the main path is cancelled, while the noise of the auxiliary path is reduced by using higher power. In the proposed design, the noise and nonlinearity of both the main and the auxiliary paths are mutually cancelled allowing for low-power operation. The 2.8-dB noise figure, −10.7 dBm third-order input intercept point LNA in a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)’s 65-nm GP process consumes 475 $\mu \text{W}$ of power resulting in an figure of merit of 28.8 dB, which is 8.2 dB better than the state of the art.