A Highly Linear CMOS Active Inductor and Its Application in Filters and Power Dividers

A high linearity active inductor with a maximum measured Q of 70 and an input 1 dB compression point (Pin, 1dB) of + 8 dBm (associated with a 10% increase in inductance from its small signal value with higher input power) is presented in 180 nm CMOS. Applications of such an inductor in extending the Pin,1 dB of a Wilkinson power divider and a fully integrated second order capacitively coupled bandpass filter for blocker tolerant receivers are also demonstrated. Up to an input power of + 5 dBm, the power divider is seen to have a measured insertion loss (S21) of dB. In each case, to the best of our knowledge, this work reports the highest measured Pin,1dB.