2-26 GHz MMIC frequency converter

A 2-26-GHz frequency down-converter has been integrated onto a single GaAs MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) chip. The chip includes a distributed dual-gate FET mixer, an elliptic IF filter and a single stage IF amplifier. The reported circuit down-converts 2-to-26-GHz signals to a 400-MHz-to-2.5-GHz IF signals with 10-dB conversion gain using a 12-dBM LO (local oscillator) drive. The measured LO-to-IF and RF-to-IF isolation is better than 20 dB from 4 to 26 GHz. The LO to RF isolation is 35 dB from 2 to 12 GHz and better than 24 dB up to 26 GHz. It is concluded that the circuit demonstrates the exceptional bandwidth capabilities of the distributed mixer topology and a high level of component integration.<>