Design of a high-efficiency gilbert mixer with current source assistance and current bleeding for HEV and wireless sensor network applications

Abstract

Abstract The effective creation of better, faster, and more efficient electronic circuits particularly in the radio frequency (RF) segment, is more important than ever for the entire world. A prevalent issue in wireless communication systems, such as those used for charging or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication, interference and signal reception problems are related to the receiver front end of electric vehicles (EV) applications. Modern receiver technologies are one way to address this issue, as they reduce interference and enhance signal reception. To address the above requirements, this paper introduces a down conversion Gilbert mixer with the improvement in conversion gain, power efficiency, linearity and noise performance. Here, the proposed mixer design uses current source helpers and current bleeding technique to enhance the performance of the conventional Gilbert mixer. The proposed mixer is simulated in Cadence Tool with an intermediate frequency (IF) of 100 MHz, which provides a conversion gain of 12 dB with the third order input intercept point (IIP3) of 4.5 dBm and a noise figure (NF) of about 9.86 dB. Also, the design functions at a supply voltage of 1.2 V, with a power consumption of only 0.96 mW. So, this mixer design may be the correct choice as a core component in the receiver front end in applications like HEVs and sensor networks, especially where wireless communication, signal conversion, and sensing are involved.