The MMIQ-0520L from Marki Microwave is an ultra-broadband low LO drive, passive GaAs MMIC IQ mixer with a RF/LO frequency range from 5 to 20 GHz and IF range from DC to 6 GHz. It provides up to 35 dB of image rejection due to the excellent phase and amplitude balance of its on-chip LO quadrature hybrid. The mixer is available as a wire bondable die or connectorized modules.
IQ mixer users have typically had a choice: hybrid IQ mixers or CMOS IQ mixers. Hybrid IQ mixers have always been large, power hungry devices. The multi-section requirement of broadband LO quadrature hybrids made broadband IQ mixers difficult to miniaturize and have limited repeatability. Meanwhile, LO quadrature hybrid imperfections exacerbated mixer LO starvation. Conversely, CMOS IQ mixers are small and repeatable, but with poor linearity and limited high frequency performance.
This new mixer solves this issue. It uses a GaAs MMIC fabrication process using which they have created an on-chip, small form-factor broadband quadrature hybrid for use in this IQ mixer. LO drive requirements as low as +3 dBm make this mixer suitable for most up and down conversion applications. The MMIQ product line are also suitable, and recommended, for use as vector modulators.
