NMOS Device Optimization for the Design of a W-band Double-Balanced Resistive Mixer

Christophe Viallon (1) , Grégory Ménéghin (2) , Thierry Parra (1)

1 LAAS-MOST - Équipe Microondes et Opto-microondes pour Systèmes de Télécommunications
2 LAAS - Laboratoire d'analyse et d'architecture des systèmes

This letter describes the implementation of NMOS devices in a double-balanced resistive mixer whose operating frequency reaches device's cut-off frequency. Conversion gain, linearity and required LO power are analyzed regarding NMOS device geometry. This work is done using simple analytic formulas and validated by electrical simulations led on a ring mixer. As a result, a down-converter is designed using a 0.13 μm BiCMOS SiGe process. The circuit includes three surrounding amplifiers at RF, LO and IF terminals. Measurements indicate a conversion gain of 14.5 dB at 76.8 GHz, an output-referred 1dB compression point of −10 dBm and a DSB noise figure of 6.3 dB suggesting the interest of NMOS-based double-balanced passive mixers at such high frequencies.

Mots clés: millimeter-wave; low-noise; resistive mixer; passive mixer; W-band; zero-IF receiver

Domaines: Electronique

Christophe Viallon, Grégory Ménéghin, Thierry Parra. NMOS Device Optimization for the Design of a W-band Double-Balanced Resistive Mixer. IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, 2014, 24 (9), pp. 637-639. ⟨10.1109/LMWC.2014.2332100⟩. ⟨hal-01015086⟩