Low-noise amplifier
OwnerYen-Jen Chen, Kunai Mahaseth +1inventors
InventorsYen-Jen Chen, Kunai Mahaseth, Hsieh-Hung Hsieh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An amplifier circuit includes an input port, a first transistor and a second transistor that form a cascode topology. An output port is coupled to a first drain of the first transistor and a second drain of the second transistor. A first capacitor is coupled between the input port and a node. A first inductor is coupled between a gate bias voltage and the node, and a second inductor is coupled between the node and a first gate of the first transistor. A second capacitor is coupled between the node and a second gate of the second transistor. A resistor is coupled between the output port and the second gate of the second transistor.
Claims20
A low-noise amplifier (LNA) circuit comprising:
- an input port;
- a core amplification stage comprising a first transistor and a second transistor forming a cascoding amplifier topology;
- an output port coupled to a first drain terminal of the first transistor and a second drain terminal of the second transistor;
- and
- an input matching network coupled between the input port and the core amplification stage, wherein the input matching network includes:
- a first capacitor coupled between the input port and a node;
- a first inductor coupled between a gate bias voltage and the node;
- a second inductor coupled between the node and a first gate of the first transistor;
- and
- a second capacitor coupled between the node and a second gate of the second transistor;
- wherein the core amplification stage, and the input matching network are both implemented on-chip.
A radio-frequency (RF) system comprising:
- an antenna;
- a quadrature mixer;
- a differential low-noise amplifier (LNA) circuit with a first input port, a second input port, a first output port and a second output port, wherein the first input port and the second input port are coupled to the antenna and the first output port and the second output port are coupled to the quadrature mixer, wherein the LNA circuit comprises:
- a core amplification stage comprising a first transistor and a second transistor forming a first side of the differential LNA circuit and a third transistor and a fourth transistor forming a second side of the differential LNA circuit, wherein a first drain terminal of the first transistor and a second drain terminal of the second transistor are coupled to the first output port and a third drain terminal of the third transistor and a fourth drain terminal of the fourth transistor are coupled to the second output port;
- a first input matching network coupled between the first input port and the core amplification stage, wherein the first input matching network includes:
- a first capacitor coupled between the first input port and a first node;
- a first inductor coupled between a first gate bias voltage and the first node;
- a second inductor coupled between the first node and a first gate of the first transistor;
- and
- a second capacitor coupled between the first node and a second gate terminal of the second transistor;
- a second input matching network coupled between the second input port and the core amplification stage, wherein the second input matching network includes:
- a third capacitor coupled between the second input port and a second node;
- a third inductor coupled between a second gate bias voltage and the second node;
- a fourth inductor coupled between the second node and a third gate of the third transistor;
- and
- a fourth capacitor coupled between the second node and a fourth gate terminal of the fourth transistor;
- and
- wherein the core amplification stage, the first input matching network and the second input matching network are implemented on-chip.
A method for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal using a low-noise amplifier (LNA) circuit, the method comprising:
- receiving, from an antenna, the RF signal at an input port of the LNA circuit, wherein the LNA circuit includes a core amplification stage to amplify the RF signal;
- matching an output impedance of the antenna to an input impedance of the core amplification stage of the LNA circuit using an input matching network coupled between the input port and the core amplification stage;
- amplifying the RF signal to generate an amplified RF signal using the core amplification stage;
- wherein the core amplification stage comprises a first transistor and a second transistor forming a cascoding amplifier topology;
- and
- wherein the input matching network includes:
- a first capacitor coupled between the input port and a node;
- a first inductor coupled between a gate bias voltage and the node;
- a second inductor coupled between the node and a first gate of the first transistor;
- and
- a second capacitor coupled between the node and a second gate of the second transistor;
- and
- wherein the core amplification stage and the input matching network are both implemented on-chip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.