IM3 Cancellation Method Using Current Feedback Suitable for a Multi-Stage RFIC Amplifier

Toshifumi NAKATANI
Koichi OGAWA

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Electronics   Vol.E90-C    No.6    pp.1209-1221
Publication Date: 2007/06/01
Online ISSN: 1745-1353
DOI: 10.1093/ietele/e90-c.6.1209
Print ISSN: 0916-8516
Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Special Section on Analog Circuits and Related SoC Integration Technologies)
Category: 
Keyword: 
feedback amplifier,  3rd order Intermodulation distortion,  IM3 cancellation technique,  IM3 phase,  integrated circuit design,  Volterra series,  load-pull measurement,  2nd order non-linearity,  

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Summary: 
A new method of cancellation of IM3 using current feedback has been proposed for a multi-stage RFIC amplifier. In order to cancel the IM3 present in an output signal of the amplifier, the IIP3 level and IM3 phase of the amplifier are adjusted by means of feedback circuit techniques, so that the target specification is satisfied. By estimating the IIP3 level and IM3 phase variations for two states in situations with and without feedback possessing linear factors, the parameters of a feedback circuit can be calculated. To confirm the validity of the method, we have investigated two approaches; one including an analytical approach to designing a two-stage feedback amplifier, achieving an IIP3 level improvement of 14.8 dB. The other method involves the fabrication of single-stage amplifiers with and without feedback, operating at 850 MHz, both of which were designed as an integrated circuit using a 0.18 µm SiGe BiCMOS process. The fabricated IC's were tested using a load-pull measurement system, and a good agreement between the estimated and measured IIP3 level and IM3 phase variations has been achieved. Further studies show that the error in these variations, as estimated by the method, has been found to be less than 1.5 dB and 15 degrees, respectively, when the load admittance at 1701 MHz was greater than 1/50 S.