GaAs ICs for wireless LANs

Microwave signal conversion is a critical function in local area networks (LANs), as well as related cellular radio systems, and is also one of the most difficult components to design well. The successful development of integrated circuits for these applications can help make the product amenable to mass production with small size and high yield. We will introduce several different approaches to MMIC signal conversion circuits developed by Raytheon for commercial applications. These include single-ended downconverters, image rejection downconverters and balanced mixer upconverters. Selection of these topologies has been made considering a multitude of sometimes conflicting system requirements and inevitable performance tradeoffs between size, power consumption, third-order intercept, voltage levels available, on-chip versus off-chip components and final product cost. These circuits have been successfully developed and are being manufactured in high volume for a variety of applications. We will discuss the differences between these approaches.