Christophe Masse

A 5 GHz 0.95 dB NF Highly Linear Cascode Floating-Body LNA in 180 nm SOI CMOS Technology

A 5 GHz CMOS LNA featuring a record 0.95 dB noise-figure is reported. Using an inductively-degenerated cascode topology combined with floating-body transistors and high-Q passives on an SOI substrate, record noise figure and superior linearity performance at 5 GHz are obtained. The low-noise amplifier (LNA) achieves up to 11 dB of gain while consuming 12 mW dc power, and is capable of supporting 802.11a WLAN applications. The impact of SOI body-contact on the LNA RF performance is described and linked to improved intermodulation performance.

Fully Integrated Switch-LNA Front-End IC Design in CMOS: A Systematic Approach for WLAN

A fully integrated front-end IC is demonstrated for 802.11b/g transceivers with integrated power amplifiers. The SP3T-LNA architecture integrates Bluetooth® functionality with transmit and receive for wireless LAN. The transmit switch achieves a P1dB greater than 33.0 dBm at 2.5 GHz by employing a cross-biasing approach, transistor stacking and deep n-well process. Power handling techniques used for the switches and the associated performance tradeoffs are discussed. The measured noise figure of the LNA and the receive chain comprising both an LNA and a switch is 1.5 dB and 3.0 dB, respectively. The LNA achieves an IIP3 of 7.0 dBm while consuming 7.0 mA of current. The measured switching times are less than 350 ns. The front-end IC employs a 3.3 V supply and occupies 0.64 mm2 in 0.18 μm bulk CMOS technology.

Novel double pole double throw switchplexer that simplifies dual-band WLAN and MIMO front-end module designs

a novel dual-band DPDT T/R switchplexer is presented. The switchplexer has a low-loss Tx path and a fully integrated Rx diplexer using die area ≪ 0.15 mm². Tx path has 0.1 dB compression at ≫ 31.8 dBm with 1 dB insertion loss (IL) and ≫ 20 dB isolation from 2.4 to 5.9 GHz. The switch features ultra low EVM distortion up to 26 dBm power input with harmonic emission ≪ −50 dBm. Rx path has switch and diplexer losses of 2.0 dB and 2.2 dB IL for ‘b/g’ and ‘a’ bands, respectively. The band selectivity is ≫ 15 dB. These unique features simplify the dual-band front-end by reducing the total number of ICs to 2 or 3 in a simple low cost package.

A 5 x 5 mm Highly Integrated Dual-band WLAN Front-End Module Simplifies 802.11 a/b/g and 802.11n Radio Designs

A highly integrated 5 x 5 x 0.9 mm dual-band wireless LAN front-end module (FEM) is presented. The FEM features 29 dB gain and 19 dBm at 54 Mbps with EVM < 3% and 180 mA for 2.4 to 2.5 GHz. For 4.9 to 5.9 GHz transmission, the FEM delivers 25 dB gain and 17 dBm at 54 Mbps with EVM < 3% and 195 mA. The FEMs receive chains can be realized either with LAN having >11.4 dB gain LNA gain with NF < 2.5 dB for the low band and < 2.8 dB for the high band or with used a RX diplexer with <1 insertion loss. The FEM significantly simplifies 802.11 a/b/g radio designs and provides an effective building block for multichannel 802.11n radios designs.

Innovative architecture for dual-band WLAN and MIMO frontend module based on a single pole, three throw switch-plexer

An innovative architecture for a dual-band front-end module (FEM) for WiFi and MIMO radios is presented. The FEM consists of a dual-band power amplifier and a SP3T switch-plexer. The SP3T switch-plexer has a SP3T switch and an integrated Rx diplexer. Tx switch paths show 0.1 dB compression at ≫ 33.5 dBm with ≪1 dB insertion loss (IL) along with ≫ 18 dB isolation. Rx switch/diplexer path has ≪ 2.0 dB IL for both bands. The band selectivity is ≫ 15 dB. These qualities simplify the construction of dual-band FEM by reducing assembly complexity and post PA loss resulting in a high band performance of 3% EVM at 18 dBm output and ≪ −50 dBm/MHz harmonic emissions in a 4 × 4 mm package.

Ultra Linear Dual-band WLAN Front-End Module for 802.11 a/b/g/n Applications with Wide Voltage and Temperature Range Operation

A compact 7 times 8 times 1.1 mm3 dual-band Wireless LAN front-end module (FEM) having high linearity and wide temperature (-40 to 85degC) and voltage (2.7 to 4.5 V) operating ranges is presented. The FEM features 28 dB gain and 19.8 dBm at 54 Mbps with EVM < 3% and 230 mA for 2.4 to 2.5 GHz. For 4.9 to 5.9 GHz, the FEM delivers 25 dB gain and 16.5 dBm linear output power at 54 Mbps with EVM < 3% and 190 mA. The FEMs receive chains feature low insertion losses, 1.5 and 2.0 dB for low and high band respectively, and >25 dB RX to TX isolation. All these unique features simplify 802.11 a/b/g and 802.1 in radio designs.