A simplified design of a MOSFET-only wideband Gilbert Cell

In this paper we present a MOSFET-only implementation of a wideband Gilbert Cell. The circuit uses a common-gate topology for a wideband input match, capable to cover the WMTS frequency bands of 600 MHz and 1.4 GHz. In this circuit the load resistors are replaced by transistors in triode mode, to reduce area and cost, and minimize the effects of process and supply variations and mismatches. In addition we obtain a higher gain for the same DC voltage drop, with a reduced impact on the noise figure (NF). The performance of this topology is compared with that of a conventional mixer with load resistors. Simulation results show that a peak gain of 20.6 dB (about 6 dB improvement) and a NF about of 11 dB for the 600 MHz band. The total power consumption is as low as 3.6 mW from a 1.2V supply.