Abstract
In recent years, the ISM bands have become crowded due to the increasing popularity of various wireless communication applications. One possible solution is to move from the low GHz range towards higher operating frequencies such as microwave and millimeter-wave bands to have wider bandwidth and higher data rate. Because of the capability of high frequency operation, relatively low cost, and high design flexibility of BiCMOS process, the BiCMOS technology has attracted much attention recently as an alternative solution of more advance CMOS process node for high-frequency applications. This thesis focuses on the design of front-end receiver for Ku-band satellite applications using TSMC 0.18-μm BiCMOS technology. At the operation frequency range of 10.7 to 12.7 GHz, one mixer, one low-noise amplifier (LNA) with active balun, and a receiver combined the three blocks are demonstrated, respectively. The measurement result of the mixer showed that input S11 is lower -10 dB from 9 GHz to 12 GHz, and the conversion gain is 9 dB The measurement results of the LNA indicated that the input S11 was smaller than -10 dB from 10.7 GHz to 12.7 GHz, the power gain is about 9 dB, and the noise-figure was larger than 5 dB. Also, a RF front-end system excluding the synthesizer is implemented in this thesis. The simulated overall conversion gain is about 55 dB, and the noise figure is larger than 4 dB.