A low power 9.75/10.6GHz down-converter IC in SiGe:C BiCMOS for Ku-band satellite LNBs

A low cost / low power BiCMOS Ku-band down-converter IC with integrated LO-PLL for satellite TV is presented. The down-converter section shows 43dB conversion gain, with 6.5dB noise figure and output IP3 of 16dBm. The LO-PLL section achieves state-of-art integrated phase noise performance of 1° rms. The down-converter operates from the 5V supply commonly available in satellite TV outdoor units. Its current consumption of 52mA is to our knowledge the lowest ever reported for a similar function.