CMOS active filter design at very high frequencies

A study of the limitations of active CMOS filters at high frequencies suggests automatic means to compensate imperfections in the filter response introduced by active devices. The effects of nonzero FET output conductance, limited frequency response and noise on the filter characteristics, and dynamic range are analyzed, particularly for filters with high Q components. These are used to demonstrate a 3-μm CMOS realization of a fourth-order bandpass filter with a 250-kHz passband centered at 12.5 MHz. The filter demonstrates that the maximum frequency of filter operation is not as seriously limited by device f_T as was previously thought, but that automatic means may be used to tune out the imperfections introduced in the filter elements by the limited voltage gain and frequency response of transistors