RF amplifier, RF mixer and RF receiver

An RF mixer fabricated on a silicon monolithic integrated circuit, the mixer comprising:

• a first differential transistor pair including first and second transistors formed in a low resistivity silicon substrate, each transistor having a base, a collector and an emitter, the emitters of the first and second transistors being coupled to each other;
• a second differential transistor pair including third and fourth transistors formed in the low resistivity silicon substrate, each transistor having a base, a collector and an emitter, the emitters of the third and fourth transistors being coupled to each other, the collectors of the third and fourth transistors being coupled to the collectors of the first and second transistors, respectively, the bases of the third and fourth transistors being coupled to the bases of the second and first transistors, respectively;
• means for coupling a local oscillation signal between the bases of the first and second transistors and between the bases of the fourth and third transistors;
• a first transformer of a balun type having primary and secondary windings which are microstrip inductor elements provided by a layer of metallization on top of a dielectric layer formed on the low resistivity silicon substrate, the microstrip inductor elements being isolated from the silicon substrate by the dielectric layer, the secondary winding being divided to two winding sections, the two winding sections of the secondary winding being connected in series between the coupled emitters of the first and second differential transistor pairs;
• current means coupled to the junction of the two divided winding sections of the secondary winding of the first transformer;
• and
• means for coupling a single-ended RF input signal across the primary winding of the first transformer, thereby a balanced signal being provided across the secondary winding of the first transformer in response to the RF input signal.

An RF receiver fabricated on a silicon monolithic integrated circuit, the receiver comprising:

• a first transformer having first and second windings which are microstrip inductor elements provided by a layer of metallization on top of a dielectric layer formed on a low resistivity silicon substrate, the micro inductor elements being isolated from the silicon substrate by the dielectric layer mutually and inductively coupled with each other;
• a first transistor formed in the low resistivity silicon substrate, the first transistor having a base, a collector and an emitter, first and second voltages being supplied via the first and second windings of the first transformer to the emitter and collector of the first transistor, respectively;
• a first differential transistor pair including second and third transistors formed in the low resistivity silicon substrate, each transistor having a base, a collector and an emitter, the emitters of the second and third transistors being coupled to each other;
• a second differential transistor pair including fourth and fifth transistors formed in the low resistivity silicon substrate, each transistor having a base, a collector and an emitter, the emitters of the fourth and fifth transistors being coupled to each other, the collectors of the fourth and fifth transistors being coupled to the collectors of the second and third transistors, respectively, the bases of the fourth and fifth transistors being coupled to the bases of the third and second transistors, respectively;
• a second transformer of a balun type having primary and secondary windings which are microstrip inductor elements provided by the layer of metallization on top of the dielectric layer formed on the low resistivity silicon substrate, the micro inductor elements being isolated from the silicon substrate by the dielectric layer, the secondary winding being divided to two winding sections, the two winding sections of the secondary winding being connected in series between the coupled emitters of the first and second differential transistor pairs;
• current means connected to the junction of the two divided winding sections of the secondary winding of the second transformer;
• means for coupling a differential local oscillation signal between the bases of the second and third transistors and between the bases of the fifth and fourth transistors;
• means for coupling an RF input signal to the base of the first transistor;
• and
• means for coupling an amplified signal from the collector of the first transistor across the primary winding of the second transformer, thereby a balanced signal being provided across the secondary winding of the second transformer,
• in which a mixed signal of the RF input signal and the local oscillation signal is provided from the collectors of the second and the fifth transistors.