Review of CMOS Gilbert Cell Mixers for 5G

The ever-increasing demand for higher and higher 5G wireless communication system performance has a direct impact on the design of highly efficient RF blocks, in which mixers play a key role. In fact, with the exponentially grow of data traffic and the need for high data-rate and low latency, mixers should maintain a high performance while working in challenging conditions. The main requirements for mixers to work properly in 5G wireless networks are related to their conversion gain, noise figure, and linearity. These are indeed the key design elements to consider but the technology to be used as well as the mixer compactness and integration into mobile devices must be carefully evaluated. In this paper, recent CMOS Gilbert-Cell mixer designs for 5G applications are discussed, while highlighting the techniques used to improve their electrical parameters. Some limitations are mentioned as well.