Broadband Low-noise Amplifier Research Articles

3G, 4G LTE 환경에 적합한 0.11μm CMOS 저전력, 광대역의 저잡음증폭기 설계

3G부터 4G LTE까지의 전체 대역에 적용이 가능한 저전력, 광대역 저잡음증폭기를 설계하였다. 설계한 광대역 다중입력 저잡음증폭기는 기존의 3G인 CDMA의 대역인 1.2GHz대역과 LTE대역인 2.5GHz대역까지 넓은 주파수 대역을 안정적으로 증폭이 가능하고, 다중입력방식을 통해 입력신호의 크기에 관계없이 안정적인 증폭이 가능하도록 설계하였다. 설계된 저잡음증폭기는 1.2V의 공급전압에서 약 0.6mA의 전류를 소모하고, 이는 Cadence사의 컴퓨터 시뮬레이션을 통해 검증하였다. 낮은 입력신호에 대응한 증폭은 최대 20dB이고, 신호에 따라 최저 -10dB의 이득값을 얻을 수 있었다. 잡음특성(NF : Noise Figure)은 High Gain모드에서 15dB이하, Low Gain 모드에서 3dB이하를 가진다. We present the Low Power Broadband Low noise amplifier(LNA) that can be applied a whole bandwidth from 3G to 4G LTE. This multi input LNA was designed to steadily amplify through a multi input method regardless the size of the input signal and operate on a wide range of frequency band from a standard 3G CDMA band 1.2GHz to LTE band 2.5GHz. The designed LNA consumes an average of 6mA on a 1.2V power supply and this was affirmed using computer simulation tests. The amplification which was corresponded to the lowest input signal is at a maximum of 20dB and was able to obtain the minimum value of the gain of -10dB. The Noise figure is less than 3dB at a High-gain mode and is less than 15dB at a Low-gain mode.

A Novel 2.5–3.1 GHz Wide-Band Low-Noise Amplifier in 0.18 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$ μ m CMOS

Aiming for the simultaneous realization of constant gain, accurate input and output impedance matching and minimum noise figure (NF) over a wide frequency range, the circuit topology and detailed design of wide broadband low noise amplifier (LNA) are presented in this paper. A novel 2.5---3.1 GHz wide-band LNA with unique characteristics has been presented. Its design and layout are done by TSMC 0.18 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$μm technology. Common gate stage has been used to improve input matching. In order to enhance output matching and reduce the noise as well, a buffer stage is utilized. Mid-stages which tend to improve the gain and reverse isolation are exploited. The proposed LNA achieves a power gain of 15.9 dB, a NF of 3.5 dB with an input return loss less than $$-$$-11.6, output return loss of $$-$$-19.2 to $$-$$-19 and reverse isolation of $$-$$-38 dB. The LNA consumes 54.6 mW under a supply voltage of 2 V while having some acceptable characteristics.

Wide-Band Inductorless Low-Noise Transconductance Amplifiers With High Large-Signal Linearity

Two high-linearity inductorless broadband low-noise transconductance amplifiers (LNTAs) employing noise and distortion cancellation techniques are presented. The core design employs a common-gate input stage and a common-source error-amplifier (EA) stage. Stacked PMOS-NMOS topology enables large-signal operation while the drain current is reused. The high linearity performance is achieved by the derivative superposition of the pMOS and nMOS transistors that reduce the third-order distortion due to second-order interaction between input stage and EA stage. Critical design issues are carefully investigated along with the performance tradeoffs. In the fully differential architecture, the first LNTA covers 0.1-2-GHz bandwidth and achieves a minimum noise figure (NF) of 3 dB, third-order input intercept point (IIP3) of 10 dBm, and a 1-dB compression point of 0 dBm while dissipating 30.2 mW of dc power. The second lower power LNTA with bulk-driven technique achieves a minimum NF of 3.4 dB, IIP3 of 11 dBm, 0.1-3-GHz bandwidth at 16 mW of power consumption. Each LNTA occupies an active area of 0.06 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> in 45-nm CMOS.

Design of Quantum Communication Broadband Amplifier Based on Photoelectric Diode

according to the special requirements of quantum optics experiments, through the optimum design of broadband low noise amplifier circuit, this paper developed a broadband low noise photoelectric detector. We focus on the analysis of the factors affecting the photoelectric detector gain, bandwidth and noise, by a suitable choice of the photodiode, a sampling resistor, feedback resistor and capacitor, the broadband low noise photoelectric detector. Experiments show that, this circuit can be used for broadband low noise quantum communication circuit.

243 GHz low-noise amplifier MMICs and modules based on metamorphic HEMT technology

Two compact H-band (220–325 GHz) low-noise millimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifiers have been developed, based on a grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) technology utilizing 50 and 35 nm metamorphic high electron mobility transistors (mHEMTs). For low-loss packaging of the circuits, a set of waveguide-to-microstrip transitions has been realized on 50-μm-thick GaAs substrates demonstrating an insertion loss of &lt;0.5 dB at 243 GHz. By applying the 50 nm gate-length process, a four-stage cascode amplifier module achieved a small-signal gain of 30.6 dB at 243 GHz and more than 28 dB in the bandwidth from 218 to 280 GHz. A second amplifier module, based on the 35-nm mHEMT technology, demonstrated a considerably improved gain of 34.6 dB at 243 GHz and more than 32 dB between 210 and 280 GHz. At the operating frequency, the two broadband low-noise amplifier modules achieved a room temperature noise figure of 5.6 dB (50 nm) and 5.0 dB (35 nm), respectively.

A Circuit Design of Spectrum Signal Acquisition with Low Noise and Wide Dynamic

Using spectrum signal acquires the information of printing colors, it has the advantages of fast response speed, wide color gamut range, high resolution, etc. And it is the key techniques in the print ink control. In this paper, it introduces a broadband and large dynamic spectrum signal acquisition circuit. It uses micro photoelectric diode array spectrum sensors, processing analog spectra signal with broadband low noise amplifier. It realized the low noise large dynamic performance through analog-to-digital converter (A/D), signal preprocessing and the optimal design of power circuit. Its spectral wavelength resolution is 0.3 nm, range from 15 to 400 lumens (lm) illumination spectrum signal acquisition, within the scope of the design of the system signal-to-noise ratio to 45 dB.

A new wideband LNA using a gm-boosting technique

A new broadband low-noise amplifier (LNA) is proposed. The conventional common gate (CG) LNA exhibits a relatively high noise figure, so active gm-boosting technology is utilized to restrain the noise generated by the input transistors and reduce the noise figure. Theory, simulation and measurement are shown. An implemented prototype using 0.13 μm CMOS technology is evaluated using on-wafer probing. S11 and S22 are below −10 dB across 0.1–5 GHz. Measurements also show a gain of 18.3 dB with a 3 dB bandwidth from 100 MHz to 2.1 GHz and an IIP3 of −7 dBm at 2 GHz. The measured noise figure is better than 2.5 dB below 2.1 GHz, is better than 4.5 dB below 5 GHz, and at 500 MHz, it gets its minimum value 1.8 dB. The LNA consumes 9 mA from 1.5 V supply and occupies an area of 0.04 mm2.

Low‐noise and high‐gain wideband LNA with g m ‐boosting technique

A broadband low-noise amplifier (LNA) is proposed. The active gm -boosting technique is utilised to reduce the common-gate (CG) LNA noise figure and improve gain. An implemented prototype using 0.13 μm CMOS technology is evaluated using on-wafer probing. S 11 and S 22 are below − 10 dB across 0.1–5 GHz. Measurements show a power gain of 18.3 dB with a − 3 dB bandwidth from 100 MHz to 2.1 GHz and an IIP3 of − 7 dBm at 2 GHz. The measured noise figure is better than 2.5 dB below 2.1 GHz, better than 4.5 dB below 5 GHz and at 500 MHz it obtains its minimum value 1.8 dB. The LNA consumes 14 mW from 1.5 V supply and occupies an area of 0.04 mm2.

A novel UWB low noise amplifier for multi-band navigation application

Multi-band navigation receivers have been widely applied in mobile communication systems, and the low noise amplifier (LNA) is an important part of navigation receiver. This paper presents a broadband LNA based on balanced amplifier technique in order to get high gain, low noise figure and smaller size. To improve the LNA's stability, we use microstrip lines to replace traditional small inductors and achieve good results. The simulation and measurement results show that the LNA using balanced amplifier technique is absolutely stable with in the band range of 1.1–1.7GHz, which can include the band of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou satellite navigation systems. Simulation and experimental results are described detailed.

Performance analysis, design and assessment of broadband low noise amplifier (LNA) for radiometer

The two major applications of microwave remote sensors are radiometer and radar. Lots of researches have been conducted on the various aspects of radiometer and radar but internal logical design is mostly ignored by researchers because of its digital logic and complex nature. This paper focus on radiometer from a design point of view and a low noise amplifier is designed and proved mathematically to ensure the high performance and working. The paper is based on a study of radio frequency communications and engineering, as well as an understanding of the radio frequency (RF) circuits. Moreover, practical implementation and performance analysis of low noise amplifier for radiometer is also discussed in this paper. Scientifically, the paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, some background study about the radiometer and its types was carried out so that a basic understanding can be developed by the reader. And in the second part low noise amplifier (LNA) for the radiometer was designed. Key words: Radiometer, sensors low noise amplifier, advanced design system (ADS), radar, bandwidth.

S-band low noise amplifier using 1 μm InGaAs/InAlAs/InP pHEMT

This paper discusses the design of a wideband low noise amplifier (LNA) in which specific architecture decisions were made in consideration of system-on-chip implementation for radio-astronomy applications. The LNA design is based on a novel ultra-low noise InGaAs/InAlAs/InP pHEMT Linear and non-linear modelling of this pHEMT has been used to design an LNA operating from 2 to 4 GHz. A common-drain in cascade with a common source inductive degeneration, broadband LNA topology is proposed for wideband applications. The proposed configuration achieved a maximum gain of 27 dB and a noise figure of 0.3 dB with a good input and output return loss (S11 < −10 dB, S22 < −11 dB). This LNA exhibits an input 1-dB compression point of −18 dBm, a third order input intercept point of 0 dBm and consumes 85 mW of power from a 1.8 V supply.

Graphene microwave transistors on sapphire substrates

We have developed metal-oxide graphene field-effect transistors (MOGFETs) on sapphire substrates working at microwave frequencies. For monolayers, we obtain a transit frequency up to ∼80 GHz for a gate length of 200 nm and a maximum oscillation frequency of about ∼3 GHz for this specific sample. Given the strongly reduced charge noise for nanostructures on sapphire, the high stability and high performance of this material at low temperature, our MOGFETs on sapphire are well suited for a cryogenic broadband low-noise amplifier.

Design of a Noise-Canceling CMOS Wideband Receiver Front-End with Inherent Active Balun

This paper presents the design of an ESD-protected noise-canceling CMOS wideband receiver front-end for cognitive and ultra-wideband (UWB) radio-based wireless communications. Designed in a 0.13-μm CMOS technology, the RF front-end integrates a broadband low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a quadrature down-conversion mixer. While having ESD and package parasitics absorbed into a wideband input matching network, the LNA exploits a combination of a common-gate (CG) stage and a common-source (CS) stage to cancel the noise of the CG-stage and to provide a well balanced differential output for driving the double-balance mixer, which has a merged quadrature topology. A variable-gain method is developed for the LNA to achieve a large factor of gain switch without degrading the input impedance match and the balun function. Drawing 24 mA from 1.5 V, simulations show that the proposed front-end has a 3-dB bandwidth of around 10 GHz spanning from 1.8 GHz up to 11.8 GHz with a maximum voltage conversion gain of 30 dB and a noise figure of 4.3–6.7 dB over the entire band.

An Inductor-Less Noise-Cancelling Broadband Low Noise Amplifier With Composite Transistor Pair in 90 nm CMOS Technology

A new broadband low-noise amplifier (LNA) is proposed in this paper. The LNA utilizes a composite NMOS/PMOS cross-coupled transistor pair to increase the amplification while reducing the noise figure. The introduced approach provides partial cancellation of noise generated by the input transistors, hence, lowering the overall noise figure. Theory, simulation and measurement results are shown in the paper. An implemented prototype using IBM 90 nm CMOS technology is evaluated using on-wafer probing and packaging. Measurements show a conversion gain of 21 dB across 2-2300 MHz frequency range, an IIP3 of -1.5 dBm at 100 MHz, and minimum and maximum noise figure of 1.4 dB and 1.7 dB from 100 MHz to 2.3 GHz for the on-wafer prototype. The LNA consumes 18 mW from 1.8 V supply and occupies an area of 0.06 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> .

Theory and Design of Low-Noise Multipath Amplifiers

The theoretical minimum noise measure of a multipath amplifier (an amplifier that has multiple parallel amplifiers) is achieved by using the optimum source impedance and optimum gain for each amplification path. This optimum source impedance and gain can be calculated by replacing each amplifier with its optimum source impedance. The resulting noise measure is the same as the minimum noise measure of the amplifiers used. The theory is demonstrated by applying it to distributed am plifiers. In an ideal distributed amplifier, the magnitude of the optimum gain of the amplification paths decreases and the phase delay increases the farther the stage is from the input, with the decrease in gain being faster for higher frequencies. The challenge in designing broadband low-noise distributed amplifiers is to achieve optimum gain matching over broad bandwidths. A numerical optimization procedure that separates source impedance and gain matching is proposed and demonstrated by optimizing a 0.5-2-GHz distributed amplifier. An average noise measure of 0.3 dB is achieved, which is only 0.1 dB higher than the minimum noise measure of the amplification stages used. This increase is due to transmission line loss and gain mismatch.

Study on Environmental Noise of the Mine TEM Detection System and Development of the Induction Probe

The mine transient electromagnetic method has become an important tool for mine electrical prospecting. In order to solve the problem of weaker received signal of central-loop TEM compared to coincident-loop configuration, the characteristics of underground noise are studied, and the high permeability rate core and the broadband low-noise amplifier technology are applied to the development of the induction probe which can enhance the received signal. Its Faraday shielding can further reduce the noise impact. Calibration and test results proved that the developed induction probe has high sensitivity, good anti-noise performance and can meet the requirements of mine TEM prospecting.

68–110-GHz-Band Low-Noise Amplifier Using Current Reuse Topology

This paper proposes a new topology for a broadband low-noise-amplifier (LNA). A common-gate (CG) amplifier with a matching inductor composes a unit cell, and the unit cells are cascaded to increase gain. As both the input and output impedances of the unit cell are matched to 50 Ω for a wide frequency range, it is possible to increase the gain while maintaining wide bandwidth. Thus, high-gain and broadband performance can be obtained using this topology. The other features of the amplifier are its small size, low power consumption, and current reuse topology. This paper presents the design methodology of a multistage CG amplifier with a matching inductor. Fabricated in an 80-nm InP HEMT process, we developed an ultra-broadband LNA. The LNA with a three-stage CG amplifier exhibited a gain of 18 dB and a noise figure of 3.5 dB from 68 to over 110 GHz. The power consumption was 12 mW under a power supply voltage of 3 V. The chip size is 0.55 × 0.75 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . Furthermore, we developed a receiver for passive millimeter-wave imagers by integrating a six-stage LNA with a power detector. The chip size of the receiver is 1.1 × 0.75 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . The sensitivity of the pre-amplified detector was more than 2 000 V/mW from 75 to 100 GHz. These results show that the topology is one of the best candidates for high-gain and broadband LNA with small size and low power consumption.

A novel simultaneous noise and input VSWR matching technique for broadband LNA

The Simultaneous Noise and Input Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) Matching (SNIM) condition for Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), in principle, can only be satisfied at a single frequency. In this paper, by analyzing the fundamental limitations of the narrowband SNIM technique for the broadband application, the authors present a broadband SNIM LNA systematic design technique. The designed LNA guided by the proposed methodology achieves 10 dB power gain with a low Noise Figure (NF) of 0.53 dB. Meanwhile, it provides wonderful input matching of 27 dB across the frequency range of 3∼5 GHz. Therefore, broadband SNIM is realized.

A new input matching technique for ultra wideband LNAs

A noise reduction input matching technique for broadband low noise amplifiers (LNAs) is presented. The proposed LNA employs a positive active feedback network besides of the conventional common-gate (CG) amplifier to achieve both wideband input signal matching and low noise figure (NF), simultaneously. Compared to the conventional broadband noise cancellation techniques, the presented approach achieves the same NF with much less power consumption and high linearity. Circuit level analysis and simulation results are provided to verify the usefulness of the proposed LNA technique. In contrast to the traditional noise cancellation circuit, the proposed LNA does not degrade the linearity and its IIP3 is similar to the simple common-gate LNA. The proposed technique is applied to an LNA operating in 2∼6.5GHz bandwidth.

Design technique of broadband CMOS LNA for DC - 11GHz SDR

This paper presents a DC-11GHz CMOS low noise amplifier (LNA) for software-defined radio (SDR). The broadband performance is extended to cover the spectrum from near DC to 11GHz by adopting extra inductors with modified resistive feedback, folded current reuse topology. Bandwidth extension is proposed by inserting pole splitting, interstage and LC ladder inductors. A source follower jointly acts as the buffer stage for broadband output matching and feed-forward path for gain enhancement as well as noise cancellation. Simulation shows power gain of 11 ±4dB and the NF ranging from 1.8 to 3dB in 0.4-11GHz band. The LNA achieves an average IIP3 of -10dBm while consumes only 5.3mW. The proposed broadband LNA is designed in 0.18-µm CMOS process from 1.5V supply.