25 dBm OPI3 Low-Noise Amplifiers Fully Integrated in 0.25 mum CMOS

High dynamic range, low noise Si-MMIC amplifiers designed for GSM 900 and DCS 1800 base station receivers are reported. These amplifiers are fully integrated in a low-cost 0.25 mum CMOS technology. Noise figures of 1.2 dB and 1.7 dB are achieved at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, respectively, with associated gain of 14 dB and 12 dB. The amplifiers exhibit excellent linearity, with OIP3 higher than 25 dBm, which is believed to be the highest OIP3 reported to date for CMOS amplifiers designed for GSM base stations. When biased for low DC power consumption of 5 mW, the 1800 MHz amplifier exhibits noise figure better than 2 dB, with over 10 dB of gain, and OIP3 of above 14 dBm, and is thus also suitable for handset applications.