A fully integrated CMOS RF front-end for a multi-band analog mixed-signal interface

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses the analysis and design of a fully integrated CMOS RF front-end suitable for a general analog interface to be employed in mixed-signal SOC applications. This block must relocate an input analog signal to a fixed frequency band and provide a gain control to adjust the input signal dynamic range, so that the mixed-signal stage can process this translated input signal version. A dual-conversion heterodyne architecture suitable for this application is presented and implemented in IBM 0.18μm CMOS process. Simulation results show a sensitivity of -70dBm, an IIP3 of -28dBm, and a NF of 25dB with a power of 55mW and area of 0.77mm2.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.0 GENERAL

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Performance

Keywords:
RF front-end, VGA, analog/RF design, frequency translation, mixer