| The implementation of Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) front-ends is one of the challenging aspects in emerging Ultra Wide-Band (UWB) radio frequency (RF) systems. Since, it is highly desirable to achieve complete system-on-chip (SoC) integration, several CMOS based LNA implementations have been reported recently. The first part of this thesis presents the background of UWB technology and a comparative study that helps designers understand the merits and demerits of different wide-band LNA implementation choices.; The second part of this thesis deals with the design and analysis of a single ended LNA. A novel technique is proposed to improve the performance of the LNA substantially when the Noise Figure (NF), input reflection coefficient (Gamma), power gain (GT), etc are concerned.; There are several trade offs involving noise figure, wide band input impedance, power dissipation and power gain which come into the picture while considering the performance of an LNA. In order to understand the trade offs better, the factors affecting gain, power and noise figure are discussed in detail. Special attention is given to the trade off between noise figure and wideband input impedance when matched to 50 ohms. This thesis concludes with the design and simulation of the proposed LNA architecture in 0.18mu CMOS technology. The generality of the topology is tested by extending the simulations to 0.16mu CMOS technology. |
