RF amplifier design

The paper begins with a summary of core theory and equations that are applicable to RF amplifier design. It will review considerations for both discrete and RFIC implementation and especially consider low noise RF amplifiers as these tend to require the greatest amount of amplifier design effort in any wireless transceiver. Finally an example is covered that deals with the design of a 900 MHz cellular LNA. Issues relating to the RFIC design are covered but emphasis is placed on the board level design including implementation on a low cost, FR4 type substrate.