Design of a Reconfigurable Mixer for Multi-Mode Multi-Standard Receivers

Abstract:

This paper reports a reconfigurable wideband passive mixer for direct conversion multimode multi-standard receivers. Different from the traditional current-commutating passive mixers, transconductor stage of this design is variable. And the TIA stage is a second-order low-pass transimpedance amplifiers based on Tow-Thomas biquad topology, working as a current mode filter. The mixer is controlled by a 4-bit control word to realize the flexible gain and variable intermediate frequency bandwidth. Other characteristics such as power consumption, NF, and linearity is also reconfigurable according to different communication standard. Circuit is implementing in 0.18μm CMOS technology. Post-simulation results show that, with the radio frequency ranges from 700 MHz to 2.6 GHz, it provides four voltage conversion gains (10/16/22/28dB) and three-3 dB intermediate frequency bandwidth (5/7.5/10MHz). Under the maximum gain, the double sideband NF of the mixer is 8.4 dB. And under the minimum gain, IIP3 is 13 dBm. The chip occupies an area of 0.248 mm² and drains a current of 8.5mA from a 1.8 V supply when the mixer has highest gain.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 618)
• Pages: 553-557
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.618.553
• Online since: August 2014
• Authors: Cheng Jie Gu*, Xiang Ning Fan, Kuan Bao, Zai Jun Hua
• Keywords: Multi-Standard Receiver, Passive Mixer, Reconfigurable, Tow-Thomas Biquad Topology, Wideband

References

[1] Bao Kuan. A wideband current-commutating passive mixer for multi-standard receivers in a 0. 18 um CMOS[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2013, 34(1): 015003.

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/34/1/015003

[2] Xiao Wang, Johannes Sturm. 0. 6–3-GHz Wideband Receiver RF Front-End With a Feedforward Noise and Distortion Cancellation Resistive-Feedback LNA[J]. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 2012 , 60(2): 387-392.

DOI: 10.1109/tmtt.2011.2176138

[3] Vito Giannini. A 2-mm2 0. 1–5 GHz Software-Defined Radio Receiver in 45-nm Digital CMOS[J]. IEEE Journal of Solid-State circuits, 2009, 44(12): 3486-3498.

DOI: 10.1109/jssc.2009.2032585

[4] Kuan. Bao. A Reconfigurable Quadrature Passive Downconverter for Multimode Multistandard Receivers in CMOS 0. 18 μm[C]. Solid-State and Integrated Circuit Technology (ICSICT), 2012 IEEE 11th International Conference on: 1-3.

DOI: 10.1109/icsict.2012.6467908

[5] Namsoo Kim. A Resistively Degenerated Wideband Passive Mixer With Low Noise Figure and High IIP2[J]. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 2010, 58(4): 820-830.

DOI: 10.1109/tmtt.2010.2042644

[6] Vito Giannini. Flexible Baseband Analog Circuits for Software-Defined Radio Front-Ends[J]. IEEE Journal of Solid-State circuits, 2007, 42(7): 1501-1512.

DOI: 10.1109/jssc.2007.899103

[7] Jonathan Borremans. A 40 nm CMOS 0. 4–6 GHz Receiver Resilient to Out-of-Band Blockers[J]. IEEE Journal of Solid-State circuits, 2011, 46(7): 1659-1671.

DOI: 10.1109/jssc.2011.2144110

[8] Mark Ingels, A 5 mm2 40 nm LP CMOS Transceiver for a Software-Defined Radio Platform[J]. IEEE Journal of Solid-State circuits, 2011, 45(12): 2794-2806.

DOI: 10.1109/jssc.2010.2075210

[9] Jonathan Borremans. A 0. 9V Low-Power 0. 4-6GHz Linear SDR Receiver in 28nm CMOS[C]. IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits, Digest of Technical Papers, 2013, C146-C147.

[10] Stefano D'Amico, Andrea Baschirotto. Active-Gm-RC Continuous-Time Biquadratic Cells[J]. Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing, 2005, 45(3): 281–294.

DOI: 10.1007/s10470-005-4956-9

[11] Jusung Kim, Jose Silva-Martinez. Low-Power, Low-Cost CMOS Direct-Conversion Receiver Front-End for Multistandard Applications [J]. IEEE Journal of Solid-State circuits, 2013, 48 (9): 2090-2103.

DOI: 10.1109/jssc.2013.2265781