Noise analysis of a nonlinear microwave circuit driven by a noisy sinusoidal source

The Letter introduces a general algorithm for the noise analysis of a nonlinear circuit operated in large-signal time-periodic conditions and fed by a noisy sinusoidal source. The algorithm is based on the piecewise harmonic-balance technique, and thus retains all the typical advantages of frequency-domain simulation. The statistical description of the noisy source, which is required to make a rigorous analysis possible, is discussed in detail. It is also shown that quite acceptable, though approximate, results can be derived on the basis of reduced statistical information consisting of the easily measurable PM and AM noise only. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.