A CMOS self-mixing-free front-end for direct conversion applications

A CMOS self-mixing-free RF front-end for direct-conversion receivers is presented, which includes a differential LNA, a ring oscillator, and I/Q double-balanced harmonic mixers and buffers. It operates at 930 MHz, achieves 51 dB gain and 5.8 dB spot noise figure at 100 kHz frequency, and consumes 53 mW power. A 54 dB self-mixing improvement over traditional architecture is obtained. The front-end is entirely self-mixing-free and suitable for direct-conversion applications.