Radio architecture

A radio frequency mixer circuit comprising:

• an in-phase mixer which comprises,
• first and second transistors wherein a source of the first and second transistors are connected to each other and a drain of the first and second transistors are connected to each other;
• and
• a quadrature mixer which comprises,
• third and fourth transistors wherein a source of the third and fourth transistors are connected to each other and a drain of the first and second transistors are connected to each other, wherein the gates of the third and fourth transistors are supplied with local oscillator signals through a first local oscillator driver, and wherein the gates of the third and fourth transistors are supplied with local oscillator signals through a second local oscillator driver, the first and second local oscillator drivers each comprising a pair of common gate transistors, wherein the first, second, third and forth transistors have reduced threshold voltages and the transistors of the local oscillator driver have normal threshold voltages.

A radio receiver circuit comprising:

• an amplifier stage comprising,
• a first input transistor, wherein a drain of the first input transistor is connected to ground,
• a fourth input transistor, wherein a source of the fourth input transistor is connected to a supply voltage, wherein a gate of the first transistor is connected to a gate of the fourth transistor, wherein an input frequency signal is supplied to the gate of the first input transistor and supplied inverted to the gate of the fourth input transistor, and wherein the first and the fourth input transistors are normal threshold transistors,
• a second transistor, wherein a gate of the second transistor is connected to the supply voltage divided by two, and
• a third transistor, wherein a gate of the third transistor is connected to the supply voltage divided by two inverted, wherein a source of the third transistor is connected to a drain of the fourth transistor, wherein a source of the second transistor is connected to a drain of the third transistor, wherein a source of the first transistor is connected to a drain of the second transistor, and wherein the second and third transistors are reduced threshold voltage transistors;
• an in-phase local oscillator driver comprising,
• a first pair of common gate transistors connected between the supply voltage and ground, wherein the supply voltage is connected to gates of the first pair of common gate transistors, and wherein the first pair of common gate transistors are normal threshold transistors;
• and
• a quadrature local oscillator driver comprising,
• a second pair of common gate transistors connected between the supply voltage and ground, wherein the supply voltage is connected to gates of the second pair of common gate transistors, and wherein the second pair of common gate transistors are normal threshold transistors.

A method for amplifying a radio frequency signal in a radio receiver amplifier circuit comprising the steps of:

• receiving a radio frequency signal at gates of a first and fourth transistor, wherein the signal is inverted at the gate of the fourth transistor, and wherein the first and fourth transistors are respectively connected to ground and to a supply voltage;
• receiving a divided supply voltage at gates of a second and third transistor, wherein the divided supply voltage is inverted at the gate of the third transistor, wherein drain-source channels of the second and third transistors are connected to drain-source channels of the first and fourth transistors, wherein the second and third transistors have reduced threshold voltages, and wherein the first and fourth transistors have normal threshold voltages;
• and
• supplying the output of the amplifier circuit to an in-phase and quadrature mixer.