Lecture 5b – Low Noise Amplifier

Part III

Dr. Mohamed Refky Amin

Nanotechnology Engineering Program
Zewail City of Science and Technology
mrefky@zewailcity.edu.eg
 Outline of this Lecture
• Gain Switching
• Band Switching
• Differential LNAs

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
As the gain of the LNA is reduced, the noise figure of the receiver
rises.

The gain must be lowered such

that the degradation in the
sensitivity is less than the
increase in the received signal
level (the SNR does not fall).

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 1st Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 1st Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 2nd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 2nd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Example (1)

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 3rd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 3rd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 3rd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 3rd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 3rd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 3rd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
Common Gate Stage – 3rd Technique

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Gain Switching
CS Stage with Inductive Degeneration
The 2nd and 3rd gain switching techniques can be used

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Band Switching
Method (1) – Additional Capacitor

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Band Switching
Method (1) – Additional Capacitor

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Band Switching
Method (1) – Additional Capacitor

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Band Switching
Method (2) – Additional Tank

Another drawback is the large footprint of

inductor. This makes the layout and routing
more difficult.
Dr. Mohamed Refky
 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential LNAs can achieve high IP2’s because symmetric
circuits produce no even-order distortion.

In practices, some (random)

asymmetry plagues actual circuits,
resulting in a finite, but still high,
IP2.

In principle, any of the single-ended

LNAs can be converted to
differential form.

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Noise Figure
Since the antenna and the preselect filter are typically single-
ended, a transformer must precede the LNA to perform single-
ended to differential conversion.

The transformer is called a balun (balanced-to-unbalanced)

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Noise Figure – Input Impedance

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Noise Figure – Input Impedance

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Noise Figure – Input Impedance

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Noise Figure – Input Impedance

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential Common-Gate LNA

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential Common-Gate LNA

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential Common-Gate LNA
The Noise Figure of the differential LNA is lower than that of the
single-ended counterpart because the voltage gain is twice that of
the single-ended CG LNA.

Differential CG LNA consumes four times the power of a single-

ended stage.

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential Common-Source LNA

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 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential Common-Source LNA

The output noise of the half circuit is given by

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential Common-Source LNA

Dr. Mohamed Refky

 Low Noise Amplifier
Differential LNAs
Differential Common-Source LNA

Dr. Mohamed Refky