3 - 10 GHz Ultra-Wideband Low-Noise Amplifier Using Inductive-Series Peaking Technique with Cascode Common-Source Circuit

The objective of this paper is to investigate a ultra-wideband (UWB) low noise amplifier (LNA) by utilizing a two-stage cascade circuit schematic associated with inductive-series peaking technique, which can improve the bandwidth in the 3-10 GHz microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC). The proposed UWB LNA amplifier was implemented with both co-planer waveguide (CPW) layout and 0.15-μm GaAs D-mode pHEMT technology. Based on those technologies, this proposed UWB LNA with a chip size of 1.5 mm x 1.4 mm, obtained a flatness gain 3-dB bandwidth of 4 - 8 GHz, the constant gain of 4 dB, noise figure lower than 5 dB, and the return loss better than –8.5 dB. Based on our experimental results, the low noise amplifier using the inductive-series peaking technique can obtain a wider bandwidth, low power consumption and high flatness of gain in the 3 - 10 GHz. Finally, the overall LNA characterization exhibits ultra-wide bandwidth and low noise characterization, which illustrates that the proposed UWB LNA has a compact size and favorable RF characteristics. This UWB LNA circuit demonstrated the high RF characterization and could provide for the low noise micro-wave circuit applications.

Design and performance of a high-speed and low-noise preamplifier for SiPM

Considering the R&D for upgrading the K^(0)_(L) andμdetectors in the Belle II experiment using a scintillator and silicon pho-tomultiplier(SiPM),we designed a compact high-speed and low-noise preamplifier.The preamplifier demonstrated a good gain stability,bandwidth of 426 MHz,baseline noise level ofσ≈0.6 mV,dynamic range of up to170 mV of the input signal amplitude,good time resolution of 20 ps,and it can be comprehensively applied to SiPMs.Adopting pole-zero-cancelation in the preamplifier reduces both the rise and fall times of the SiPM signal,which can significantly improve the time resolution and reduce the pile-up when using a large SiPM or an array of SiPMs.Various combinations of the preamplifier and several types of SiPMs demonstrated time resolutions better than 50 ps for most cases;when the number of detected photons was larger than 60,a time resolution of approximately 25 ps was achieved.

A single-to-differential low-noise amplifier with low differential output imbalance

This paper presents a single-ended input differential output low-noise amplifier intended for GPS applications. We propose a method to reduce the gain/amplitude and phase imbalance of a differential output exploiting the inductive coupling of a transformer or center-tapped differential inductor.A detailed analysis of the theory of imbalance reduction,as well as a discussion on the principle of choosing the dimensions of a transformer,are given.An LNA has been implemented using TSMC 0.18μm technology with ESD-protected.Measurement on board shows a voltage gain of 24.6 dB at 1.575 GHz and a noise figure of 3.2 dB.The gain imbalance is below 0.2 dB and phase imbalance is less than 2 degrees.The LNA consumes 5.2 mA from a 1.8 V supply.

A CMOS variable gain low-noise amplifier with ESD protection for 5 GHz applications

This paper presents a variable gain low-noise amplifier（VG-LNA） for 5 GHz applications.The effect of the input parasitic capacitance on the inductively degenerated common source LNA＇s input impedance is analyzed in detail.A new ESD and LNA co-design method was proposed to achieve good performance.In addition,by using a simple feedback loop at the second stage of the LNA,continuous gain control is realized.The measurement results of the proposed VG-LNA exhibit 25 dB（-3.3 dB to 21.7 dB） variable gain range,2.8 dB noise figure at the maximum gain and 1 dBm IIP3 at the minimum gain,while the DC power consumption is 9.9 mW under a 1.8 V supply voltage.

A9.8-30.1GHzCMOSlow-noise amplifier with a 3.2-dB noise figure using inductor-and transformer-based gm-boosting techniques

A 9.8–30.1 GHz CMOS low-noise amplifier(LNA)with a 3.2-dB minimum noise figure(NF)is presented.At the architecture level,a topology based on common-gate(CG)cascading with a common-source(CS)amplifier is proposed for simultaneous wideband input matching and relatively high gain.At the circuit level,multiple techniques are proposed to improve LNA performance.First,in the CG stage,loading effect is properly used instead of the conventional feedback technique,to enable simultaneous impedance and noise matching.Second,based on in-depth theoretical analysis,the inductor-and transformer-based gm-boosting techniques are employed for the CG and CS stages,respectively,to enhance the gain and reduce power consumption.Third,the floating-body method,which was originally proposed to lower NF in CS amplifiers,is adopted in the CG stage to further reduce NF.Fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS technology,the LNA chip occupies an area of only 0.2 mm^(2)and measures a maximum power gain of 10.9 dB with−3 dB bandwidth from 9.8 to 30.1 GHz.The NF exhibits a minimum value of 3.2 dB at 15 GHz and is below 5.7 dB across the entire bandwidth.The LNA consumes 15.6 mW from a 1.2-V supply.

Design and analysis of a UWB low-noise amplifier in the 0.18μm CMOS process

An ultra-wideband （3.1-10.6 GHz） low-noise amplifier using the 0.18μm CMOS process is presented. It employs a wideband filter for impedance matching. The current-reused technique is adopted to lower the power consumption. The noise contributions of the second-order and third-order Chebyshev fliers for input matching are analyzed and compared in detail. The measured power gain is 12.4-14.5 dB within the bandwidth. NF ranged from 4.2 to 5.4 dB in 3.1-10.6 GHz. Good input matching is achieved over the entire bandwidth. The test chip consumes 9 mW （without output buffer for measurement） with a 1.8 V power supply and occupies 0.88 mm^2.

High-Power Raman Soliton Generation at 1.7 μm in All-Fiber Polarization-Maintaining Erbium-Doped Amplifier

An all-fiber polarization maintaining high-power laser system operating at 1.7 μm based on the Ramaninduced soliton self-frequency shifting effect is demonstrated. The entirely fiberized system is built by erbiumdoped oscillator and two-stage amplifiers with polarization maintaining commercial silica fibers and devices, which can provide robust and stable soliton generation. High-power soliton laser with the average power of 0.28 W,the repetition rate of 42.7 MHz, and pulse duration of 515 fs is generated directly from the main amplifier.Our experiment provides a feasible method for high-power all-fiber polarization maintaining femtosecond laser generation working at 1.7 μm.

Broadband Dual-Input Doherty Power Amplifier Design Based on a Simple Adaptive Power Dividing Ratio Function

In this paper,a simple adaptive power dividing function for the design of a dual-input Doherty power amplifier(DPA)is presented.In the presented approaches,the signal separation function(SSF)at different frequency points can be characterized by a polynomial.And in the practical test,the coefficients of SSF can be determined by measuring a small number of data points of input power.Same as other dualinput DPAs,the proposed approach can also achieve high output power and back-off efficiency in a broadband operation band by adjusting the power distribution ratio flexibly.Finally,a 1.5-2.5 GHz highefficiency dual-input Doherty power amplifier is implemented according to this approach.The test results show that the peak power is 48.6-49.7d Bm,and the 6-d B back-off efficiency is 51.0-67.0%,and the saturation efficiency is 52.4-74.6%.The digital predistortion correction is carried out at the frequency points of 1.8/2.1GHz,and the adjacent channel power ratio is lower than-54.5d Bc.Simulation and experiment results can verify the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed method.

Harmonic balance simulation of the influence of component uniformity and reliability on the performance of a Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifier

A Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifier(JTWPA),which is a quantum-limited amplifier with high gain and large bandwidth,is the core device of large-scale measurement and control systems for quantum computing.A typical JTWPA consists of thousands of Josephson junctions connected in series to form a transmission line and hundreds of shunt LC resonators periodically loaded along the line for phase matching.Because the variation of these capacitors and inductors can be detrimental to their high-frequency characteristics,the fabrication of a JTWPA typically necessitates precise processing equipment.To guide the fabrication process and further improve the design for manufacturability,it is necessary to understand how each electronic component affects the amplifier.In this paper,we use the harmonic balance method to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact of nonuniformity and fabrication yield of the electronic components on the performance of a JTWPA.The results provide insightful and scientific guidance for device design and fabrication processes.

Three-channel CMOS transimpedance amplifier for LiDAR sensor receiver

For time-of-flight(TOF)light detection and ranging(LiDAR),a three-channel high-performance transimpedance amplifier(TIA)with high immunity to input load capacitance is presented.A regulated cascade(RGC)as the input stage is at the core of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS)circuit chip,giving it more immunity to input photodiode detectors.A simple smart output interface acting as a feedback structure,which is rarely found in other designs,reduces the chip size and power consumption simultaneously.The circuit is designed using a 0.5μm CMOS process technology to achieve low cost.The device delivers a 33.87 dB?transimpedance gain at 350 MHz.With a higher input load capacitance,it shows a-3 dB bandwidth of 461 MHz,indicating a better detector tolerance at the front end of the system.Under a 3.3 V supply voltage,the device consumes 5.2 mW,and the total chip area with three channels is 402.8×597.0μm2(including the test pads).

A 2.1-6 GHz SiGe BiCMOS low-noise amplifier design for a multi-mode wideband receiver

A wideband low-noise amplifier（LNA） with ESD protection for a multi-mode receiver is presented.The LNA is fabricated in a 0.18-μm SiGe BiCMOS process,covering the 2.1 to 6 GHz frequency band.After optimized noise modeling and circuit design,the measured results show that the LNA has a 12 dB gain over the entire bandwidth, the input third intercept point（IIP3） is -8 dBm at 6 GHz,and the noise figure is from 2.3 to 3.8 dB in the operating band.The overall power consumption is 8 mW at 2.5 V voltage supply.

A novel 3-stage structure for a low-noise, high-gain and gain-flattened L-band erbium doped fiber amplifier

The configuration of the novel three-stage L-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier with very large and flat gain and very low noise figure presented in this paper uses the forward ASE (amplified spontaneous emission) from the first section of the EDF (erbium-doped fiber) and the backward ASE from the third section of the EDF (both serve as the secondary pump sources of energy) to pump the second EDF. To improve the pump efficiency, the power of the pump is split into two parts (with a ratio of e.g. 2:7). The characteristics of this L-band EDFA are studied on the basis of the Giles Model with ASE.

Low-Noise Amplification, Detection and Spectroscopy of Ultra-Cold Systems in RF Cavities

The design and development of a cryogenic Ultra-Low-Noise Signal Amplification (ULNA) and detection system for spectroscopy of ultra-cold systems are reported here for the operation in the 0.5 - 4 GHz spectrum of frequencies (the “L” and “S” microwave bands). The design is suitable for weak RF signal detection and spectroscopy from ultra-cold systems confined in cryogenic RF cavities, as entailed in a number of physics, physical chemistry and analytical chemistry applications, such as NMR/NQR/EPR and microwave spectroscopy, Paul traps, Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC’s) and cavity Quantum Electrodynamics (cQED). Using a generic Low-Noise Amplifier (LNA) architecture for a GaAs enhancement mode High-Electron Mobility FET device, our design has especially been devised for scientific applications where ultra-low-noise amplification systems are sought to amplify and detect weak RF signals under various conditions and environments, including cryogenic temperatures, with the least possible noise susceptibility. The amplifier offers a 16 dB gain and a 0.8 dB noise figure at 2.5 GHz, while operating at room temperature, which can improve significantly at low temperatures. Both dc and RF outputs are provided by the amplifier to integrate it in a closed-loop or continuous-wave spectroscopy system or connect it to a variety of instruments, a factor which is lacking in commercial LNA devices. Following the amplification stage, the RF signal detection is carried out with the help of a post-amplifier and detection system based upon a set of Zero-Bias Schottky Barrier Diodes (ZBD’s) and a high-precision ultra-low noise jFET operational amplifier. The scheme offers unique benefits of sensitive detection and very-low noise amplification for measuring extremely weak on-resonance signals with substantial low- noise response and excellent stability while eliminating complicated and expensive heterodyne schemes. The LNA stage is fully capable to be a part of low-temperature experiments while being operated in cryogenic conditions down to about 500 mK.

Impact of amplified spontaneous emission noise on the SRS threshold of high-power fiber amplifiers

Impact of amplified spontaneous emission(ASE)noise on the stimulated Raman scattering(SRS)threshold of highpower fiber amplifiers is demonstrated numerically through a spectral evolution approach.The simulation results confirm that ASE noise in the Raman wavelength band could reduce the SRS threshold of high-power fiber amplifiers significantly.As for ASE noise originated the main amplifier,it becomes stronger and reduces the SRS threshold at shorter operation wavelength below 1052 nm.As for ASE noise originated from the seed laser,it reduces the SRS threshold at different operation wavelength under the condition that the Raman ratio is over-90 dB in the seed laser.The theoretical method and results in this work could provide a well reference to extend the operation wavelength of high-power fiber lasers.

Improving source-in-the-middle continuous-variable quantum key distribution using a heralded hybrid linear amplifier

A hybrid linear amplifier is inserted at the output of the source-in-the-middle distribution protocol to overcome the shortcomings of the transmission distance.The modified protocol aims to maintain a high key rate for long-distance transmission under high noise.It has the potential to significantly broaden the application range of the continuous variable quantum key distribution protocol.The effects of amplifier parameters and noise on the modified protocol are analyzed in detail with regard to applying it to a practical system.To make the simulation more realistic,the effect of finite size on the new protocol is taken into account.It will serve as a guideline for the future use of hybrid linear amplifiers.Different parameters can be adjusted to achieve the best performance for key rates of different quantum channels.

5G Wideband Bandpass Filtering Power Amplifiers Based on a Bandwidth-Extended Bandpass Matching Network

In this paper,a 5G wideband power amplifier(PA)with bandpass filtering response is synthesized using a bandwidth-extended bandpass filter as the matching network(MN).In this structure,the bandwidth(θ_(C))is defined as a variable in the closedform equations provided by the microstrip bandpass filter.It can be extended over a wide range only by changing the characteristic impedances of the structure.Different from the other wideband MNs,the extension of bandwidth does not increase the complexity of the structure(order n is fixed).In addition,based on the bandwidth-extended structure,the wideband design of bandpass filtering PA is not limited to the fixed bandwidth of the specific filter structure.The theoretical analysis of the MN and the design flow of the PA are provided in this design.The fabricated bandpass filtering PA can support almost one-octave bandwidth(2-3.8 GHz),covering the two 5G bands(n41 and n78).The drain efficiency of 47%-60%and output power higher than 40 dBm are measured.Good frequency selectivity in S-parameter measurements can be observed.

Piezomagnetic vibration energy harvester with an amplifier

We study the effect of an amplification mechanism in a nonlinear vibration energy harvesting system where a ferromagnetic beam resonator is attached to the vibration source through an additional linear spring with a damper.The beam moves in the nonlinear double-well potential caused by interaction with two magnets.The piezoelectric patches with electrodes attached to the electrical circuit support mechanical energy transduction into electrical power.The results show that the additional spring can improve energy harvesting.By changing its stiffness,we observed various solutions.At the point of the optimal stiffness of the additional spring,the power output is amplified a few times depending on the excitation amplitude.

Research Towards Terahertz Power Amplifiers in Silicon-Based Process

In view of the existing design challenges for Terahertz(THz)power amplifiers(PAs),the common design methods and the efforts of the State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Wave,Southeast University,China in the development of silicon-based THz PAs,mainly including silicon-based PAs with operating frequencies covering 100–300 GHz,are summarized in this paper.Particularly,we design an LC-balun-based two-stage differential cascode PA with a center frequency of 150 GHz and an output power of 14 dBm.Based on a Marchand balun,we report a 220 GHz three-stage differential cascode PA with a saturated output power of 9.5 dBm.To further increase the output power of THz PA,based on a four-way differential power combining technique,we report a 211–263 GHz dual-LC-tank-based broadband PA with a recorded 14.7 dBm Psat and 16.4 dB peak gain.All the above circuits are designed in a standard 130 nm silicon germanium(SiGe)BiCMOS process.

Vertical vibration control using nonlinear energy sink with inertial amplifier

To reduce additional mass, this work proposes a nonlinear energy sink(NES)with an inertial amplifier(NES-IA) to control the vertical vibration of the objects under harmonic and shock excitations. Moreover, this paper constructs pure nonlinear stiffness without neglecting the gravity effect of the oscillator. Both analytical and numerical methods are used to evaluate the performance of the NES-IA. The research findings indicate that even if the actual mass is 1% of the main oscillator, the NES-IA with proper inertia angles and mass distribution ratios can still effectively attenuate the steady-state and transient responses of the main oscillator. Nonlinear stiffness and damping also have important effects. Due to strongly nonlinear factors, the coupled system may exhibit higher branch responses under harmonic excitation. In shock excitation environment, the NES-IA with a large dynamic mass can trigger energy capture of both main resonance and high-frequency resonance. Furthermore, the comparison with the traditional NES also confirms the advantages of the NES-IA in overcoming mass dependence.

A low-noise,high-gain,and large-dynamic-range photodetector based on a JFET and a charge amplifier

We demonstrate a low-noise,high-gain,and large-dynamic-range photodetector(PD)based on a junction field-effect transistor(JFET)and a charge amplifier for the measurement of quantum noise in Bell-state detection(BSD).Particular photodiode junction capacitance allows the silicon N-channel JFET 2sk152 to be matched to the noise requirement for charge amplifier A250.The electronic noise of the PD is effectively suppressed and the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)is up to 15 dB at the analysis frequency of 2.75 MHz for a coherent laser power of 50.08µW.By combining of the inductor and capacitance,the alternating current(AC)and direct current(DC)branches of the PD can operate linearly in a dynamic range from 25.06µW to 17.50 mW.The PD can completely meet the requirements of SNR and dynamic range for BSD in quantum optics experiments.