Linearization of mixers using a reconfigurable transistor pair for W-CDMA mobile terminals

We present results in the development of a miniaturized mixer linearization technique for advanced mobile terminals. With the exploitation of a unified RF distortion-compensating mechanism in a dual-transistor framework, the devised approach features simple, yet compact designs that offer a maximum 40-dB improvement on third-order inter-modulation distortions (IMD3). The hybrid circuit using a low-power device produced a +7-dBm output power at the 1-dB gain compression (Pl-dB), sustaining as many as +26.5 dBm third-order intercept point (OIP3) under a 2-V operation voltage. Graceful degradations on modulation bandwidths and gain variations are also presented, showing superb performance.