<p>Most work on amplifier linearity has focused on the transconductance (gm) linearity, but there is increasing evidence that the voltage-dependence of the gate-source capacitance (Cgs) plays an important role in the linearity of emerging devices. This work addresses the capacitance contribution by incorporating the nonlinearities attributed to the voltage dependency of Cgs of a general FET on a circuit-level Cg amplifier model.</p> <p>An amplifier model including a voltage-dependent Cgs, and a voltage-dependent gm is studied using harmonic analysis and Volterra series. A closed form expression for the  third-order intercept point (IP3) of the amplifier, which depends on the nonlinear coefficients of Cgs, is obtained. A simple design rule, and a formula for the reduction of the IP3 due to the voltage-dependent Cgs are also presented. </p> <p>As application examples, the linearity of an amplifier based on a specific device is analyzed for two cases by extracting the nonlinear circuit parameters of the device. First for an analytic model of a bulk mosfet. Second for a one-dimensional, ballistic, coaxially gated Si nanowire. For low frequencies of design, the distortion introduced by gm is predominant, but for high frequencies it is obscured by the distortion coming from Cgs.</p> <p>We conclude that taking into account the voltage-dependence of Cgs is crucial when predicting the linearity behavior of a Cg amplifier, either designed for high-frequency operation, or based on a device operating near the quantum capacitance limit. </p>

The growth in the number of wireless devices and applications underscores the need for characterizing and mitigating interference induced problems such as distortion and blocking. A typical interference scenario involves the detection of a small amplitude signal of interest (SOI) in the presence of a large amplitude interfering signal; it is desirable to attenuate the interfering signal while preserving the integrity of SOI and an appropriate dynamic range. If the frequency of the interfering signal varies or is unknown, an adaptive notch function must be applied in order to maintain adequate attenuation. This work explores the performance space of a phase cancellation technique used in implementing the desired notch function for communication systems in the 1-3 GHz frequency range. A system level model constructed with MATLAB and related simulation results assist in building the theoretical foundation for setting performance bounds on the implemented solution and deriving hardware specifications for the RF notch subsystem devices. Simulations and measurements are presented for a Low Noise Amplifer (LNA), voltage variable attenuators, bandpass filters and phase shifters. Ultimately, full system tests provide a measure of merit for this work as well as invaluable lessons learned. The emphasis of this project is the on-wafer LNA measurements, dependence of IC system performance on mismatches and overall system performance tests. Where possible, predictions are plotted alongside measured data. The reasonable match between the two validates system and component models and more than compensates for the painstaking modeling efforts. Most importantly, using the signal to interferer ratio (SIR) as a figure of merit, experimental results demonstrate up to 58 dB of SIR improvement. This number represents a remarkable advancement in interference rejection at RF or microwave frequencies.

The aim of this work was double-balanced mixer implementation, which will be used like laboratory equipment. This thesis deals with design of the double-balanced mixer from first theoretical principles to a practical design of a laboratory equipment. For the practical design the integrated mixer SA612 was used. Input signal to the mixer up to 500 MHz frequency can be used. For required operation external oscillator and fifth-order low pass filter were constructed. Oscillator was designed for fixed frequency 32 MHz. Fifth-order low pass filter was inserted between the mixer and the oscillator, because of filtering higher harmonics. The second aim of the work was measuring double-balanced mixer basic parameters, such as Compression Point (P-1dB) and Intercept Point (IP3). For the IP3 measurement, another one device was required. It consists of the power combiner for mixing two frequency close signals and third-order bandpass filter, which selects required frequency band. Finally, the laboratory equipment was fabricated and its real parameters were measured.