Broadband receiver for multi-band millimeter-wave wireless communication
An RF receiver includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to receive and amplify RF signals, a transformer-based IQ generator circuit, one or more load resisters, one or more mixer circuit, and a downconverter. The transformer-based IQ generator is to generate a differential in-phase local oscillator (LOI) signal and a differential quadrature (LOQ) signal based on a local oscillator (LO) signal received from an LO. The load resisters are coupled to an output of the transformer-based IQ generator. Each of the load resisters is to couple one of the differential LOI and LOQ signals to a predetermined bias voltage. The mixers are coupled to the LNA and the transformer-based IQ generator to receive and mix the RF signals amplified by the LNA with the differential LOI and LOQ signals to generate an in-phase RF (RFI) signal and a quadrature RF (RFQ) signal. The downconverter is to down convert the RFI signal and the RFQ signal into IF signals.
1. A radio frequency (RF) receiver circuit, comprising:
a low noise amplifier (LNA) to receive and amplify RF signals;
a transformer-based in-phase quadrature (IQ) generator to generate a differential in-phase local oscillator (LOI) signal and a differential quadrature local oscillator (LOQ) signal based on a local oscillator (LO) signal received from a local oscillator;
a plurality of load resistors coupled to an output of the transformer-based IQ generator, wherein each of the plurality of load resistors couples one of the differential LOI and the differential LOQ signals to a predetermined bias voltage; and
a downconverter having one or more mixers coupled to the LNA and the transformer-based IQ generator to receive and mix the amplified RF signals with the differential LOI and the differential LOQ signals to down convert the amplified RF signals into intermediate frequency (IF) signals, wherein the IF signals are to be processed by a signal processing module.
2. The RF receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the transformer-based IQ generator comprises:
a positive LOI (LOI+) port to produce an LOI+ signal based on the LO signal;
a negative LOI (LOI−) port to produce an LOI− signal based on the LO signal, wherein the LOI+ and LOI− signals represent the differential LOI signal;
a positive LOQ (LOQ+) port to produce an LOQ+ signal based on the LO signal; and
a negative LOQ (LOQ−) port to produce an LOQ− signal based on the LO signal, wherein the LOQ+ and LOQ− signals represent the differential LOQ signal.
3. The RF receiver circuit of claim 2 , wherein the one or more mixers comprise a first mixer and a second mixer, and wherein the downconverter further comprises
a first low-pass filter coupled to the first mixer to mix the RF signals with LOI+ signal to generate a positive in-phase IF (IFI+) signal;
a second low-pass filter coupled to the second mixer to mix the RF signals with LOI− signal to generate a negative in-phase IF (IFI−) signal; and
a first IF amplifier coupled to the first and second low-pass filters to amplify the IFI+ and the IFI− signals to generate a first differential IF signal.
4. The RF receiver circuit of claim 3 , wherein the one or more mixers further comprise a third mixer and a fourth mixer, and wherein the downconverter further comprises
a third low-pass filter coupled to the third mixer to mix the RF signals with LOQ+ signal to generate a positive quadrature IF (IFQ+) signal;
a fourth low-pass filter coupled to the fourth mixer to mix the RF signals with LOQ− signal to generate a negative quadrature IF (IFQ−) signal; and
a second IF amplifier coupled to the third and fourth low-pass filters to amplify the IFQ+ and the IFQ− signals to generate a second differential IF signal.
5. The RF receiver circuit of claim 4 , wherein the downconverter further comprises
a poly-phase filter (PPF) coupled to the first IF amplifier and the second IF amplifier to generate a third differential IF signal based on the first and the second differential IF signals; and
a third IF amplifier coupled to the PPF to amplify the third differential IF signal to generate a fourth differential IF signal, wherein the fourth differential IF signal is processed by the signal processing module.
6. The RF receiver circuit of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of load resistors comprises:
a first load resistor coupled between the LOI+ port and the predetermined bias voltage;
a second load resistor coupled between the LOI− port and the predetermined bias voltage;
a third load resistor coupled between the LOQ+ port and the predetermined bias voltage; and
a fourth load resistor coupled between the LOQ− port and the predetermined bias voltage.
7. The RF receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of load resistors is ranging from 50 to 500 ohms.
8. The RF receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the differential LOI and the differential LOQ signals are ranging from 25 to 50 gigahertz (GHz).
9. The RF receiver circuit of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more mixers comprises:
a first stage amplifier having a first differential transistor pair having a first and a second transistor, wherein a first gate terminal of the first transistor and a second gate terminal of the second transistor together forms a differential RF input port to receive a differential RF input signal to be mixed; and
a second stage amplifier having a second differential transistor pair having a third transistor with a third gate terminal and a fourth transistor with a fourth gate terminal and a third differential transistor pair having a fifth transistor with a fifth gate terminal and a sixth transistor with a sixth gate terminal,
wherein the third gate terminal is coupled to the fifth gate terminal and the fourth gate terminal is coupled to the sixth gate terminal, wherein the third gate terminal and the fifth gate terminal forms a differential LO input port to receive a differential LO drive signal to drive the mixer.
10. The RF receiver circuit of claim 9 , wherein a first drain terminal of the first transistor of the first differential transistor pair is coupled to source terminals of the third and the fourth transistors of the second differential transistor pair via a first inductor, and a second drain terminal of the second transistor of the first differential transistor pair is coupled to source terminals of the fifth and the sixth transistors of the third differential transistor pair via a second inductor.
11. The RF receiver circuit of claim 10 , wherein the first inductor and the second inductor form a differential inductor pair.
12. The RF receiver circuit of claim 11 , wherein the differential inductor pair comprises a single inductor footprint sharing a common virtual ground.
13. The RF receiver circuit of claim 9 , wherein a drain terminal of the third transistor is coupled to a drain terminal of the fifth transistor as a first output, a drain terminal of the fourth transistor is coupled to a drain terminal of the sixth transistor as a second output, wherein the first and the second output forms a differential output port to output a differential mixed signal.
14. A radio frequency (RF) frontend circuit, comprising:
a transmitting and receiving (T/R) switch to be coupled to an antenna;
an RF transmitter coupled to the T/R switch to transmit first RF signals via the antenna; and
an RF receiver coupled to the T/R switch to receive second RF signals via the antenna, wherein the T/R switch couples the RF transmitter or the RF receiver to the antenna at a particular point in time, wherein the RF receiver comprises:
a low noise amplifier (LNA) to receive and amplify the second RF signals,
a transformer-based in-phase quadrature (IQ) generator to generate a differential in-phase local oscillator (LOI) signal and a differential local oscillator quadrature (LOQ) signal based on a local oscillator (LO) signal received from a local oscillator,
a plurality of load resistors coupled to an output of the transformer-based IQ generator, wherein each of the plurality of load resistors couples one of the differential LOI and the differential LOQ signals to a predetermined bias voltage, and
a downconverter having one or more mixers coupled to the LNA and the transformer-based IQ generator to receive and mix the amplified RF signals with the differential LOI and the differential LOQ signals to down convert the amplified RF signals into intermediate frequency (IF) signals, wherein the IF signals are to be processed by a signal processing module.
15. The RF frontend circuit of claim 14 , wherein the transformer-based IQ generator comprises:
a positive LOI (LOI+) port to produce an LOI+ signal based on the LO signal;
a negative LOI (LOI−) port to produce an LOI− signal based on the LO signal, wherein the LOI+ and LOI− signals represent the differential LOI signal;
a positive LOQ (LOQ+) port to produce an LOQ+ signal based on the LO signal; and
a negative LOQ (LOQ−) port to produce an LOQ− signal based on the LO signal, wherein the LOQ+ and the LOQ− signals represent the differential LOQ signal.
16. The RF frontend circuit of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of load resistors comprises:
a first load resistor coupled between the LOI+ port and the predetermined bias voltage;
a second load resistor coupled between the LOI− port and the predetermined bias voltage;
a third load resistor coupled between the LOQ+ port and the predetermined bias voltage; and
a fourth load resistor coupled between the LOQ− port and the predetermined bias voltage.
17. The RF frontend circuit of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of load resistors is ranging from 50 to 500 ohms.
18. A mobile device, comprising:
an antenna;
a radio frequency (RF) receiver to receive RF signals via the antenna, the RF receiver including:
a low noise amplifier (LNA) to receive and amplify the RF signals,
a transformer-based in-phase quadrature (IQ) generator to generate a differential in-phase local oscillator (LOI) signal and a differential quadrature local oscillator (LOQ) signal based on a local oscillator (LO) signal received from a local oscillator,
a plurality of load resistors coupled to an output of the transformer-based IQ generator, wherein each of the plurality of load resistors couples one of the differential LOI and the differential LOQ signals to a predetermined bias voltage, and
a downconverter having one or more mixers coupled to the LNA and the transformer-based IQ generator to receive and mix the amplified RF signals with the differential LOI and the differential LOQ signals to down convert the amplified RF signals into intermediate frequency (IF) signals, wherein the IF signals are to be processed by a signal processing module; and
a signal processor to process the IF signals.
19. The mobile device of claim 18 , wherein the transformer-based IQ generator comprises:
a positive LOI (LOI+) port to produce an LOI+ signal based on the LO signal;
a negative LOI (LOI−) port to produce an LOI− signal based on the LO signal, wherein the LOI+ and the LOI− signals represent the differential LOI signal;
a positive LOQ (LOQ+) port to produce an LOQ+ signal based on the LO signal; and
a negative LOQ (LOQ−) port to produce an LOQ− signal based on the LO signal, wherein the LOQ+ and the LOQ− signals represent the differential LOQ signal.
20. The mobile device of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of load resistors comprises:
a first load resistor coupled between the LOI+ port and the predetermined bias voltage;
a second load resistor coupled between the LOI− port and the predetermined bias voltage;
a third load resistor coupled between the LOQ+ port and the predetermined bias voltage; and
a fourth load resistor coupled between the LOQ− port and the predetermined bias voltage.