Design considerations for low-noise, highly-linear millimeter-wave mixers in SiGe bipolar technology

This paper presents design considerations for millimeter-wave mixers based on the Gilbert cell. The theory has been validated by a test chip fabricated in a 200 GHz fT SiGe:C bipolar technology. The chip has been designed for applications at 76 GHz. The measured single-sideband noise figure (NFSSB) is 11.2 dB while the conversion gain is 15 dB with an input-referred 1 dB compression point (ICP) and an input-referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) of +2.5 dBm and +8.5 dBm, respectively. The chip consumes 61 mA at a supply voltage of 5.5 V.

[1]  S. A. Maas,et al.  Intermodulation in heterojunction bipolar transistors , 1991 .

[2]  D. Pavlidis,et al.  Analysis and optimization of third order intermodulation distortion mechanisms in AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors , 1992, 1992 IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest MTT-S.

[3]  Robert G. Meyer,et al.  Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits , 1993 .

[4]  D. Harame,et al.  SILICON:GERMANIUM HETEROJUNCTION BIPOLAR TRANSISTORS: FROM EXPERIMENT TO TECHNOLOGY , 1994 .

[5]  Thomas H. Lee,et al.  The Design of CMOS Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits: RF CIRCUITS THROUGH THE AGES , 2003 .

[6]  R. Meyer,et al.  High-frequency nonlinearity analysis of common-emitter and differential-pair transconductance stages , 1998, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[7]  Willy Sansen,et al.  Distortion in elementary transistor circuits , 1999 .

[8]  K.,et al.  The Effects of Feedback Capacitance on Thermally Shunted Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor ’ s Linearity , 1999 .

[9]  Fan Chen,et al.  Silicon-Germanium Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors , 2002 .

[10]  Lawrence E. Larson,et al.  An Si-SiGe BiCMOS direct-conversion mixer with second-order and third-order nonlinearity cancellation for WCDMA applications , 2003 .

[11]  J. Bock,et al.  SiGe bipolar technology for automotive radar applications , 2004, Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology, 2004. Proceedings of the 2004 Meeting.

[12]  W. Simburger,et al.  A low-noise, and high-gain double-balanced mixer for 77 GHz automotive radar front-ends in SiGe bipolar technology , 2004, 2004 IEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Systems. Digest of Papers.

[13]  W. Simburger,et al.  Voltage-controlled oscillators up to 98 GHz in SiGe bipolar technology , 2004, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[14]  Arpad L. Scholtz,et al.  An 84 GHz Bandwidth and 20 dB Gain Broadband Amplifier in SiGe Bipolar Technology , 2006, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[15]  Li Wang,et al.  An Improved Highly-Linear Low-Power Down-Conversion Micromixer for 77 GHz Automotive Radar in SiGe Technology , 2006, 2006 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest.

[16]  K. Aufinger,et al.  A highly linear SiGe double-balanced mixer for 77 GHz automotive radar applications , 2006, IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Symposium, 2006.

[17]  S.K. Reynolds,et al.  77 and 94-GHz Downconversion Mixers in SiGe BiCMOS , 2006, 2006 IEEE Asian Solid-State Circuits Conference.

[18]  H. Jager,et al.  A Low-Power Micromixer with High Linearity for Automotive Radar at 77 GHz in Silicon-Germanium Bipolar Technology , 2007, 2007 Topical Meeting on Silicon Monolithic Integrated Circuits in RF Systems.