A 50MHz–lGHz wideband low noise amplifier in 130nm CMOS technology

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a differential wideband LNA with inherent limitations of low noise figure in a large frequency range using a commercial 130nm RF CMOS process. This circuit is to be applied to IEEE 802.22 Cognitive Radio (CR) applications. The design is based on the noise-canceling technique, with an inductorless solution, showing that this technique effectively reduces the noise figure over the desired frequency range with moderate power consumption and a small die area. The wideband LNA covers the frequency range from 50MHz to 1GHz, achieving a noise figure of 3dB to 4dB, a gain of 11dB to 12dB, and an input/output return loss lower than -12dB. The input IP3 and input P1dB at 580MHz are above 0dBm and - 10dBm, respectively. It consumes 46.5mW from a 1.5V supply and occupies an active area of 0.056mm2.