Low-Cost, 900MHz, Low-Noise Amplifier
and Downconverter Mixer
LNA Bypass Switch
Detailed Description
and Gain Control
The MAX2685 consists of five major components: a
When a large input signal is present, enable the LNA
bypass function to increase linearity and reduce supply
current. Set GAIN low to enable the LNA bypass func-
tion.
low-noise amplifier (LNA), an LNA bypass switch, a
downconverter mixer, a local-oscillator (LO) buffer, and
a power-management block.
Low-Noise Amplifier (LNA)
The LNA is a wideband, single-ended cascode amplifi-
er that operates over a wide range of frequencies. The
input of the LNA (LNAIN) requires an appropriate
matching network and a DC-blocking capacitor. The
typical operating circuit shown in Figure 1 is optimized
for frequencies around 880MHz, requiring only a 0.1µF
capacitor in series with a 12nH inductor. See Table 1
for the LNA “S” parameters for matching to other fre-
quencies.
Receive Mixer
The downconverter mixer is a wideband, single-bal-
anced design with a low noise figure and high linearity.
The RF signal at the MIXIN port is mixed with the signal
at the LO port, and is downconverted to an IF frequen-
cy at the differential IF port.
RF Input
The MIXIN input requires a simple external matching
network and a series DC-blocking capacitor. See
Figure 1 for a matching network example, optimized for
880MHz operation. Table 2 lists mixer “S” parameters
for matching to other frequencies.
The output of the LNA (LNAOUT) is internally biased to
V
. It is internally matched to 50 and incorporates
CC
an internal DC-blocking capacitor.
Table 1. LNA Typical S-Parameters (V = +3V, T = +25°C)
CC
A
S11
PHASE
(degrees)
S21
PHASE
(degrees)
S12
PHASE
(degrees)
S22
PHASE
(degrees)
FREQUENCY
(MHz)
S11
MAG
S21
MAG
S12
MAG
S22
MAG
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
High-Gain Mode (GAIN = V
)
CC
800
840
880
920
960
1000
0.761
0.753
0.747
0.733
0.719
0.693
-64.5
-68.6
-73.2
-78.0
-82.8
-87.5
4.98
5.06
5.07
4.91
4.68
4.40
177.9
167.2
156.6
146.6
137.7
130.3
0.018
0.022
0.026
0.030
0.035
0.039
-163.7
-167.1
-171.3
-175.7
178.0
171.0
0.376
0.264
0.172
0.149
0.200
0.263
-107.3
-107.0
-94.6
-62.9
-42.4
-38.8
Low-Gain Mode (GAIN = GND)
800
840
880
920
960
1000
0.625
0.621
0.619
0.611
0.608
0.607
-45.6
-48.1
-50.9
-53.3
-55.5
-57.5
0.188
0.195
0.199
0.200
0.200
0.200
73.0
65.5
58.1
51.6
46.1
41.2
0.191
0.198
0.201
0.202
0.201
0.200
71.9
64.2
56.7
50.3
44.7
40.0
0.483
0.423
0.370
0.337
0.322
0.317
-91.3
-91.3
-89.9
-86.1
-80.9
-76.7
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