Low-noise variable-gain amplifier in 90-nm CMOS for TV on mobile

Presented is a low-noise variable-gain amplifier intended for handheld TV-on-mobile in the UHF band. The circuitry, implemented in 90-nm CMOS technology, is designed for compliance with MBRAI category 2 and 3 and for robustness against the high RF input levels caused by uplink signals from cellular and connectivity services integrated in the same handheld. The overall Noise Figure is kept low by employing lossless feedback in the VGA. The effect of a back- gate control to reduce the sensitivity of the amplifier characteristics to variations in supply voltage has been studied. The test chip realized exhibits 23 dB gain that can be stepped down with 2 dB resolution, 2.6 dB NF, a -5.4 dBm IIP3 at maximum gain and 40 mW power consumption at 1.2 V supply.