CMOS front-end LNA-mixer for micropower RF wireless systems

Motivated by the emerging needs for low power, low cost narrow-band wireless communication systems, the first micropower RFIC front-end has been implemented in standard CMOS technology. The front-end, an LNA combined with a down-conversion mixer, has been designed and fabricated in a HP 0.8 /spl mu/m CMOS process. This mandates the use of high-Q discrete inductors to provide sufficient gain for the LNA. Employing these design methods, the front-end supply current is less than 110 /spl mu/A with a 3 V supply voltage for operation at 450 MHz. High-Q inductors have been manufactured using low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. The frontend´s gain is 25 dB with an IIP3 of -15 dBm. This is the lowest current consumption reported to date for a CMOS front-end operating at this frequency.