On the Noise Optimization of CMOS Common-Source Low-Noise Amplifiers

In this paper, we propose a general noise optimization technique for the CMOS common-source low-noise amplifiers. By directly employing the short-channel MOSFET - characteristic and van der Ziel's noise model, we derive design equations for the selection of the circuit design parameters, such as transistor sizes, passive component values, and bias voltages, which are subject to various gain and current consumption constraints. We also include several side effects, including the finite quality factor and the back-gate transconductance into the optimization process, and analyze their impact on the optimization results. Design examples that are based on a virtual but realistic process are given to verify our analysis and to give design intuition.