A 7–9 GHz I/Q Up-Conversion Mixer Employing a Linear Voltage-to-Current Converting Baseband Input Stage for 5G New Radio Cellular Applications

Abstract

This work presents a 7–9[Formula: see text]GHz in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) direct up-conversion mixer employing a linear voltage-to-current converting baseband input stage for 5G new radio frequency range 2 cellular applications. The proposed baseband stage improves both the large-signal handling capability and small-signal linearity at the input stage of the mixer. The designed double-balanced I/Q up-conversion mixer, which is based on Gilbert-cell mixer, consists of a voltage-to-current converting input stage, switching stages, and an RLC tank. Simulated in a 40-nm CMOS process, the up-conversion mixer achieves a conversion gain of 5[Formula: see text]dB, input-referred third-order intercept point of 9.6[Formula: see text]dBm, and input 1-dB gain compression point of –0.8[Formula: see text]dBm. It draws a DC bias current of 15.8[Formula: see text]mA from a nominal supply voltage of 1.1[Formula: see text]V, and the active area is 0.129[Formula: see text]mm2.