A 2.4 GHz integrated single pole three throw (SP3T) radio frequency (RF) switch and low noise amplifier based on a 90 nm SOI CMOS process is designed for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications. The RF switch adopts a low-power equivalent negative voltage biasing method, which can make the off-state transistors obtain an equivalent negative voltage bias state without using negative voltage, thereby improving the linearity of the RF switch. The low noise amplifier uses the negative feedback technique and derivative superposition technique to improve its linearity, and the derivative superposition technique is used to reduce the third-order non-linearity of the low noise amplifier, which further improves the linearity of the negative feedback low noise amplifier. The low noise amplifier is integrated with the RF switch and has a Bypass attenuation path. The measurement results show that the transmitting branch of the RF switch has an insertion loss of 0.95 dB and an input 1 dB compression point of 34 dBm, and the Bluetooth branch of the RF switch has an insertion loss of 1.68 dB and an input 1 dB compression point of 30 dBm. Under 2 V power supply, in the high gain mode, the receiving branch has a gain of 15.8 dB, a noise figure of 1.7 dB and an input third-order intercept point of 7.6 dBm, and a power consumption of 28.6 mW, while in the bypass mode, it has 7.2 dB insertion loss and an input third-order intercept point of 22 dBm.
射频开关(Radio Frequency Switch, RF Switch)是无线通信系统中的重要控制模块,控制着射频通路间的切换,为了保证无线通信质量,它需要具备低的插入损耗以及高的线性度和隔离度.互补金属氧化物半导体(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor,CMOS)工艺的发展推动着射频前端模块集成度的提高,射频开关的设计也逐渐由传统的GaAs pHEMT工艺转向具有更低成本、更高集成度的CMOS工艺[1].由于晶体管的击穿电压较低,CMOS射频开关通常采用堆叠晶体管结构.晶体管的偏置对射频开关的线性度有着重要影响,大功率射频开关通常采用负压偏置[2-3],但集成的负压产生电路增加了电路的功耗和面积,并且负压产生电路工作状态的建立也会影响射频开关模式切换的时间.针对传统的负压偏置,文献[4]提出一种低功耗的等效负压偏置方法,通过将关断状态晶体管的栅极偏置在低电平而将源漏偏置在高电平使关断状态晶体管获得等效的负压偏置,在避免使用负电压的前提下使射频开关获得了与采用负压偏置时相同的线性度.
本文基于90 nm SOI CMOS工艺设计了一个应用于无线局域网(Wireless Local Area Networks, WLAN)的2.4 GHz集成的单刀三掷(Single Pole Three Throw, SP3T)射频开关和低噪声放大器.SP3T射频开关采用了低功耗的等效负压偏置方法,在避免使用负电压下使射频开关具备良好的线性度.LNA利用负反馈技术结合导数叠加技术实现了线性度的提高,导数叠加技术通过线性化输入晶体管的跨导能够减小LNA的三阶非线性,实现负反馈LNA线性度的进一步提高.
式中:g1为晶体管的跨导,g2和g3分别为跨导的二阶和三阶非线性系数.当忽略二阶交调时,源极退化电感Ls能够使LNA的输入三阶交调点(Input Third Order Intercept Point, IIP3)幅值提高倍[6].然而源极退化电感的设计通常首先考虑LNA的输入匹配,因此它对LNA线性度的改善作用有限.
式中:a1、a2和a3分别为放大器的线性增益,二阶和三阶非线性系数,b1,dual和b3,dual分别为反馈系统的线性增益和三阶非线性系数,Tx =a1 fx (x=1,2)为反馈环路x的反馈环路增益,其中fx 为反馈环路的反馈系统.由式(3)可知,反馈电容CFB通过提高系统的反馈环路增益,能够进一步提高放大器的线性度,并且增加了设计的自由度,使得反馈环路增益的调节更为灵活.
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