A Ku band converter IC

A one-chip downconverter IC composed of prescaler, VCO (voltage-controlled oscillator), LNA (low-noise amplifier) mixer, and IF (intermediate frequency) buffer has been developed for DBS (direct broadcast satellite) and CS (communication satellite) applications. This IC was fabricated on a 1.2*2.8 mm/sup 2/ chip. The noise figure was less than 8 dB and the conversion gain was more than 10 dB, and the observed phase noise was -80 dBc/Hz at a 10-kHz offset frequency from a 10.75 GHz requirements. This is the first report of a dynamic 1/12 prescaler operating in the 9 to 12 GHz range, and a multivibrator operating at X-band in a multifunction IC. These successful results made it possible to realize the one-chip VCO downconverter IC, and to directly connect to a conventional silicon prescaler and PLL (phase-locked loop) IC. This IC is promising for miniaturization and cost reduction of CS receivers.<>