A 100MHz — 2GHz wireless receiver in 40-nm CMOS for software-defined radio

Abstract

Software-defined radio (SDR), one of solutions to realize multi-mode terminal for mobile communication standards, has attracted intensive studies. A wideband wireless receiver is designed in a 40-nm CMOS process for SDR, which can cover the frequency range from 100MHz to 2GHz. The wideband RF front-end includes a low noise amplifier (LNA), a mixer, intermediate frequency amplifier (IF AMP) and a variable gain amplifier (VGA). The focal point of the design lies in the wideband LNA. The wideband inductorless LNA with 1.1-V supply is a two-stage amplifier that can operates from 100MHz to 2GHz. The noise figure (NF) of the LNA is 2.2–2.4 dB while it can achieve gains of 24-12 dB and 0– •12 dB when working under the active mode and passive mode, respectively. The whole system provides a NF of 3.2–3.5 dB with 5.02mw power consumption.