Ultra low power, low noise GaAs up-converter MMIC for a broadband superheterodyne L-band receiver

The design and the performance of a low power up-converter MMIC fabricated using a commercial 0.6 /spl mu/m GaAs MESFET process is presented. The circuit is designed for a low superheterodyne receiver, which in the RF frequency range from 0.8 GHz to 1.2 GHz. At a low supply voltage of 1.2 V and a low supply current of only 1.7 mA, a conversion gain of 3.6 dB and a state of the art SSB noise figure of 3.1 dB was measured.