A Multi-Band 5.3–18 GHz LNA for FR3 Bands Using Hybrid Switching With Sub-2 dB NF in FDSOI

This article presents a multi-band 5.3–18-GHz low-noise amplifier (LNA) for 6G applications in GlobalFoundries 22FDX technology. The LNA consists of two stages employing tunable LC inter-stage and output matching networks. Using this technique, a sub-2 dB noise figure (NF) across three bands of operation is achieved. The measured results show three different frequency range 3 (FR3) bands with 3 dB bandwidths of 5.3–9.4 GHz, 8.3–13 GHz, and 11.5–18 GHz with a NF of 1.6–1.8 dB, 1.6–1.8 dB, and 1.8–2.2 dB, respectively. The LNA also operates in a wide-band mode with a bandwidth of 6.6–16.3 GHz and a NF of 2.4–3.2 dB. The LNA achieves an $\text {IP}_{\text {1dB}}$ of −18 to −22dBm, and an IIP₃ of −8.7 to −12.7 dBm for the three bands, and consumes 20 mW from a 1 V supply. The multi-band LNA also shows fourth-order filtering characteristics, which greatly relaxes the requirements of external filters. Results are compared to prior work and show state-of-the-art performance.