Abstract
An amplifier topology based on a transformer-coupled cascode stage is presented and compared with the most used solutions for sub-μm CMOS power amplifiers, which are the common-source stage, cascode stage, and capacitive-coupled cascode stage. The comparison was carried out by designing each amplifier in a 65-nm CMOS technology and for a 60-GHz operating frequency. The design was optimized for a trade off among power gain, saturated output power, and linearity. Operating from a 1.2-V supply voltage, the proposed amplifier improves both small-signal and large-signal performance with respect to the most common approaches, thus demonstrating effectiveness with sub-μm CMOS technologies and mm-wave operation.
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Giammello, V., Ragonese, E. & Palmisano, G. Transformer-coupled cascode stage for mm-wave power amplifiers in sub-μm CMOS technology. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 66, 449–453 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-010-9574-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-010-9574-5