A miniature low‐power ultra‐wideband low noise amplifier in 0.18 μm CMOS

A 0.18‐μm CMOS low‐noise amplifier (LNA) operating over the entire ultra‐wideband (UWB) frequency range of 3.1–10.6 GHz, has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The UWB LNA achieves the measured power gain of 7.5 ± 2.5 dB, minimum input matching of ?8 dB, noise figure from 3.9 to 6.3 dB, and IIP3 from ?8 to ?1.9 dBm, while consuming only 9 mW over 3–10 GHz. It occupies only 0.55 × 0.4 mm² without RF and DC pads. The design uses only two on‐chip inductors, one of which is such small that could be replaced by a bonding wire. The gain, noise figure, and matching of the amplifier are also analyzed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE , 2011.