A 100MHz CMOS wideband IF amplifier

When the data rates of communication systems increase, wideband IF amplifiers are needed. It is also possible to use a single wideband intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier for a radio band with several narrow-band channels of varying strengths. The linearity is then critical, if intermodulation products are not to disturb weak channels. We try to find a topology for this new amplifier application, suitable for integration in a standard CMOS process. To get low distortion, we use an output stage with high linearity, which is further linearized by feedback in a double-nested Miller configuration. A 0.8-μm standard CMOS IF amplifier design with low distortion up to 20 MHz is presented.