Infrastructure receiver applications for cellular/3G, ISM, GPS, WiMAX/4G, automotive applications, and satellite radio require Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) with very low Noise Figures (NF), good input and output return loss, high linearity, low current, wide band stability, and robust performance. These conflicting design requirements are equally important, so they have to be achieved simultaneously. These challenging requirements demand highest available performance from the technology. To obtain an optimized performance with minimum trade-offs, unique design techniques and superior pHEMT process technology are used.
This White Paper describes different trade-offs, design options, and implementation of a sub 1 dB low NF (~ 0.6 dB), high gain (> 20 dB), and very high linearity (> +34 dBm) two-stage LNA.
