近年來由於CMOS通訊系統的快速發展，對於高效能，高傳輸速度與低功率的RF前端積體電路的需求越來越高。本論文研究高效能混頻器與壓控振盪器設計。由於對於一無線通訊系統的線性度特性主要受到後級電路所主導，我們研究將特別針對混頻器IIP3的設計。本論文如下將分為兩大部分。
第一部份包含TSMC CMOS 0.18um高性能低功率的混頻器與壓控振盪器設計。我們設計一混頻器在1V供應電壓下可以得到高的轉換增益，中等的雜訊指數與線性度。以及設計一壓控振盪器合併LDO與bandgap參考電壓，藉由電流共用的方式，可以節省大量的功率消耗且可以得到優良的相位雜訊特性以及FOM。最後我們實現一混頻器並內建壓控振盪器供給其LO訊號，並配合自動的校正機制，研究混頻器的特性與LO訊號大小的相關性以及合併設計混頻器與壓控振盪器所產生的影響。
此論文的第二部分則研究了兩種線性化技術且利用TSMC CMOS 0.18um設計了兩高線性度的混頻器。由數學推導，第一顆混頻器建立一注入區塊來消除輸出端因電路非線性所產生的三階諧波項。藉由簡單的架構可以提升電路的IIP3維持混頻器轉換增益，且僅僅增加10%的功率消耗。另一顆混頻器再輸入級設計兩訊號路徑，一提供電路主要的轉換增益，另一輔助的路徑則產生與RF訊號電流中非線性部分相消的電流，雖然此電路模擬為了維持一定的轉換增益而消耗較多的功率，但是達到了最高的IIP3。此部分研究主要的目的為維持一定的轉換增益並且達到高IIP3的混頻器設計。

Recently, rapid development of wireless communication systems demands high performance, high speed, and low power CMOS RFICs. This study focuses on high performance VCOs and mixers for wireless communications. Because the system IIP3 is mainly dominated by the stage following low noise amplifier, we especially focus on the linearity of mixers. This thesis is divided into two parts as follows.
First, low power and high performance mixer and VCO are designed and fabricated by TSMC CMOS 0.18 m process. A mixer can operate under 1V and achieve good conversion gain, fair noise figure and IIP3. The VCO is co-designed with LDO (low drop-out) regulator and bandgap. Using the cascode current reused topology, we can save considerable amount of power and obtain superior phase noise reduction and FOM. Finally, we implement a mixer by using a VCO to generate differential LO signals and adopting the proposed calibration mechanisms. We observe the dependence of the mixer performance on LO signals and investigate the relation between the VCO and the mixer.
In the second part of this dissertation, we present two linearized techniques and describe two high linearity mixers implemented with these techniques, which are also designed based on TSMC CMOS 0.18 m technology. The injection block reported here can cancel the output IMD3 terms. This is also verified by mathematic derivations. This design can achieve a high IIP3 up to 15dBm and maintain the conversion gain at about 10dB, while adding the power by only 0.25mW. The second mixer’s RF stage transconductance is linearized by using two paths: one is the main conversion gain path and the other is auxiliary path. The RF current’s nonlinear term is cancelled by the auxiliary path, and the IIP3 is significantly enhanced to 17dBm, an additional power of 10mW is needed to maintain an 8dB conversion gain.

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