A Survey on the Application of Parametric Amplification in Next Generation Digital RF Transceivers

The accelerating growth in mobile networks for data communication, covering a diversity of applications, has originated a high demand not only for low-power devices but also for low-cost System on Chip (SoC). An example of this is the next generation 5G, which is under intense development intending to reach an effective ubiquitous connectivity. CMOS technology offers the best trade-off between costs versus performance and facilitates the co-integration of digital-analog. However, integrating analog RF in recent technology nodes remains a challenge, which has pushed the research towards innovative techniques. One of these techniques is the parametric signal conversion, which can offer high speed and low-noise operation. This paper presents a survey on the application of this technique in modern heterodyne receivers.