Frequency-Translational Quadrature-Hybrid Receivers for Very-Low-Noise, Frequency-Agile, Scalable Inter-Band Carrier Aggregation

A frequency-translational quadrature-hybrid receiver is proposed that achieves wideband input matching for a reflective low-noise-amplifier input impedance and enables the realization of wideband, concurrent receivers. Frequency-agile, inter-band carrier aggregation is realized from a single antenna through RF signal sharing and quadrature-hybrid-coupler daisy chaining. A 1.1 V 65 nm CMOS prototype chip is demonstrated that has a sub-1 dB minimum NF, a 12 MHz to 70 MHz RF bandwidth, a +8 dBm II P₃, and a -15 dBm B_1dB and consumes <;58 mW per channel. The prototypes have been integrated into a demonstration system that features 4-band inter-band carrier aggregation with modulated carriers placed between 0.69 and 2.1 GHz and received with an EVM <;2.8%.