Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described for enhanced broadband operation of an active mixer. In an example, an apparatus may include an active mixer that converts between radio frequency (RF) signals and intermediate frequency (IF) signals based at least in part on an alternating current (AC) local oscillator (LO) signal, wherein a direct current (DC) current generated within the active mixer is dependent in part on a bias voltage and the AC LO signal. The apparatus may include a mixer biasing circuit that generates the bias voltage for the active mixer, a magnitude of the bias voltage having an inverse relationship to an amplitude of the AC LO signal.

Systems and methods are disclosed for improved linearity performance of a mixer. An example mixer includes switching circuit elements configured to be switched on and switched off based at least partly on a local oscillator signal and capacitors including a respective capacitor in parallel with each of the switching elements. The mixer is configured to mix the input signal with the local oscillator signal to thereby frequency shift the input signal.

An frequency down-converter includes a mixer configured to receive a RF (radio frequency) signal having a first end and a second end and output an intermediate signal comprising a first end and a second end in accordance with a LO (local oscillator) signal having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end and the second end of the LO signal jointly form a two-phase periodic signal of a fundamental frequency approximately equal to a mean frequency of a desired component of the RF signal. The down-converter further includes an opamp (operational amplifier) configured to receive the intermediate signal and output an output signal having a first end and a second end; a first feedback network configured to couple the second end of the output signal to the first end of the intermediate signal; a second feedback network configured to couple the first end of the output signal to the second end of the intermediate signal; and an auxiliary mixer configured to receive the RF signal and provide a supplemental signal added to the output signal in accordance with the LO signal. Preferably, the auxiliary mixer is based on using the same circuit as the mixer but replacing each switch in the mixer with a switch in series with a capacitor.

A self-reconfigurable returnable mixer includes a self-reconfigurable transconductance stage. The input RF voltage signal is converted into RF current through the self-reconfigurable transconductance stage. The RF current is converted into an IF signal through down-conversion and low-pass filtering. The IF signal is fed back to the reconfigurable transconductance stage; the self-reconfigurable transconductance stage presents an open-loop structure to the input RF voltage signal, and the self-reconfigurable transconductance stage presents the topology structure of the negative feedback amplifier to the fed-back IF signal. The self-reconfigurable transconductance stage circuit achieves a high-linearity IF gain while providing a high bandwidth for the RF signal, effectively alleviating the contradiction between the conversion gain and the IF linearity in the conventional returnable structure.

A switch circuit, a mixer, and an electronic device, where the switch circuit includes a first metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, a second MOS transistor, a third MOS transistor, and a fourth MOS transistor, both a gate of the first MOS transistor and a gate of the fourth MOS transistor are connected to a first port, and both a gate of the second MOS transistor and a gate of the third MOS transistor are connected to a second port; and a lead between the gate of the first MOS transistor and the first port, a lead between the gate of the second MOS transistor and the second port, a lead between the gate of the third MOS transistor and the second port, and a lead between the gate of the fourth MOS transistor and the first port all have an equal length. In this way, linearity is relatively high.

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described for enhanced broadband operation of an active mixer. In an example, an apparatus may include an active mixer that converts between radio frequency (RF) signals and intermediate frequency (IF) signals based at least in part on an alternating current (AC) local oscillator (LO) signal, wherein a direct current (DC) current generated within the active mixer is dependent in part on a bias voltage and the AC LO signal. The apparatus may include a mixer biasing circuit that generates the bias voltage for the active mixer, a magnitude of the bias voltage having an inverse relationship to an amplitude of the AC LO signal.

A mixing stage includes a first modulation stage that receives an input signal from a first common node of the mixing stage, a first local oscillator input that receives a local oscillator signal, and a first modulation signal output adapted to provide a first modulated signal. A second modulation stage of the mixing stage includes a second input that receives a phase inverted representation of the input signal from a second common node of the mixing stage, a second local oscillator input that receives the local oscillator signal, and a second modulation signal output adapted to provide a second modulated signal. A current generation circuit provides a supply current to the first common node and to the second common node. A current control circuit is adapted to superimpose an offset current to the current of at least one node of the first common node and the second common node.

A voltage-current converter includes a first input stage and a second input stage with a first transistor and a second transistor driven by the first input stage and by the second input stage, respectively. First and second current generators are coupled to current lines of the first transistor and of the second transistor. At least one resistor couples the current lines of the first transistor and of the second transistor, where the ends of the aforesaid resistor are coupled to feedback terminals of the input stages so that an input voltage applied between voltage input terminals of the input stages is converted into a current on respective current output terminals of the converter. The converter includes switching circuits for coupling the first and second current generators alternately to the current line of the first transistor and to the current line of the second transistor.

A mixing stage includes a first modulation stage that receives an input signal from a first common node of the mixing stage, a first local oscillator input that receives a local oscillator signal, and a first modulation signal output adapted to provide a first modulated signal. A second modulation stage of the mixing stage includes a second input that receives a phase inverted representation of the input signal from a second common node of the mixing stage, a second local oscillator input that receives the local oscillator signal, and a second modulation signal output adapted to provide a second modulated signal. A current generation circuit provides a supply current to the first common node and to the second common node. A current control circuit is adapted to superimpose an offset current to the current of at least one node of the first common node and the second common node.

A mixing stage includes a first modulation stage that receives an input signal from a first common node of the mixing stage, a first local oscillator input that receives a local oscillator signal, and a first modulation signal output adapted to provide a first modulated signal. A second modulation stage of the mixing stage includes a second input that receives a phase inverted representation of the input signal from a second common node of the mixing stage, a second local oscillator input that receives the local oscillator signal, and a second modulation signal output adapted to provide a second modulated signal. A current generation circuit provides a supply current to the first common node and to the second common node. A current control circuit is adapted to superimpose an offset current to the current of at least one node of the first common node and the second common node.