An Inductorless Gain-Controllable Wideband LNA Based on CCCIIs

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Microelectronics
• RF Circuit Design

Background:

• Low noise amplifiers (LNAs) are critical components in modern wireless communication systems.
• Traditional LNAs often require inductors, increasing chip area and design complexity.
• Gain controllability is essential for adaptive RF front-ends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel inductorless and gain-controllable wideband LNA.
• To utilize second-generation current controlled current conveyors (CCCIIs) as fundamental building blocks.
• To achieve efficient amplification and impedance matching for RF applications.

Main Methods:

• The proposed LNA employs CCCIIs for both amplification and impedance matching stages.
• Voltage gain is controlled by adjusting the DC biasing current of the CCCII.
• Post-layout simulations were performed using a 0.18 μm RF CMOS technology.

Main Results:

• Achieved a controllable voltage gain from 1 to 18 dB across the 0.5-2.5 GHz band.
• Demonstrated a typical gain S21 of 12.6 dB with ±1.5 dB ripple.
• Reported excellent return loss (S11: -21.4 to -16.6 dB, S22: -18.6 to -10.6 dB) and high reverse isolation (S12: -65.2 to -39.5 dB).
• Obtained a noise figure of 4.05–4.35 dB and an IIP3 of -2.5 dBm at 1.5 GHz.
• Achieved a compact chip area of 0.096 mm² with a low power consumption of 12.0 mW.

Conclusions:

• The proposed CCCII-based LNA offers a viable inductorless solution for wideband RF systems.
• The gain controllability and compact size make it suitable for various wireless applications.
• This design advances the development of efficient and scalable RF front-end components.