LNA topologies for RX carrier aggregation

Abstract

Performance of the low-noise amplifier (LNA) determines the sensitivity, impedance matching (reflection), and other critical parameters of the receiver. Carrier aggregation (CA) in LTE-Advanced and upcoming 5G requires the LNA to support multiple-outputs without degrading its dynamic range (DR) performance and thus requires the architectural changes. In this paper, several LNA topologies are presented which can support RX carrier aggregation. Each topology is meticulously characterized in its performance. Simulation results reveal that the cascode divert-switch and cascode-shutoff in common-source configuration shows comparable performance to the legacy operation.