CMOS RF amplifier and mixer circuits utilizing complementary characteristics of parallel combined NMOS and PMOS devices

Abstract

Design and chip fabrication results for complementary RF circuit topologies that utilize the complementary RF characteristics of both NMOS and PMOS field-effect-transistor devices combined in parallel way are reported, which can inherently provide single-ended differential signal-processing capability, requiring neither baluns, nor differential signal generating/combining circuits. The proposed complementary CMOS parallel push-pull (CCPP) amplifier gives an order of magnitude improvement in IP2 than an NMOS common-source amplifier and single-balanced CCPP resistive mixer, which functions effectively as a double-balanced one, provides more than an order of magnitude better linearity in IP2, and similar order of magnitude better local oscillator (LO)-IF and LO-RF isolations than NMOS counterparts.