The disclosure relates to technology for shifting a frequency range of a signal. In one aspect, a circuit comprises a frequency mixer, a frequency synthesizer configured to generate an oscillator signal, a programmable driver, and a controller. The programmable driver is configured to receive the oscillator signal from the frequency synthesizer and to provide the oscillator signal to the oscillator input of the frequency mixer. The programmable driver is configured to have a variable drive strength. The controller is configured to control the drive strength of the programmable driver based on a frequency of the oscillator signal to adjust a rise time and a fall time of the oscillator signal at the oscillator input of the frequency mixer.

A voltage feed-forward circuit, a multiplier using the voltage feed-forward circuit, and a power factor correction circuit using the multiplier. The voltage feed-forward circuit is used to maintain and output a peak voltage (Vff) of an input voltage (Vin), and includes first switch element (S1), a logic control unit (U1), a second switch element (S2), a first capacitor (C1), a third switch element (S3) and a second capacitor (C2). The first control signal (Φ1) and the second control signal (Φ2) begin to be provided at the same time, and the first control signal (Φ1) stops being provided when a voltage of the second end of the first capacitor (C1) is greater than the peak voltage (Vff) of the input voltage (Vin).

A distributed amplifier includes a transmission line configured so as to transmit a signal, a variable capacitor having one end connected to the transmission line and the other end connected to the ground, and configured so that the capacitance is adjustable, and a variable capacitor having one end connected to the transmission line and the other end connected to the ground, and configured so that the capacitance is adjustable. The transmission line is configured in such a manner that the inductance is adjustable.

A distributed amplifier includes: a transmission line having an input end that an input signal is input to; a transmission line having an output end that an output signal is output from; an input termination resistor connected to an end terminal of the transmission line; a plurality of unit cells arranged along the transmission lines, and having input terminals connected to the transmission line and output terminals connected to the transmission line; and a variable current source having one end connected to the end terminal of the transmission line and another end connected to a power supply voltage, and capable of adjusting a current amount between the transmission line and the power supply voltage.

A circuit for subharmonic detection includes in-phase and quadrature mixers, first and second filters, and a processing circuit. The in-phase mixer has a first mixer input and a first mixer output. The quadrature mixer has a second mixer input and a second mixer output, the first mixer input coupled to the second mixer input. The first filter circuit has a first filter input and a first filter output, the first filter input coupled to the first mixer output. The second filter circuit has a second filter input and a second filter output, the second filter input coupled to the second mixer output. The processing circuit has a first input and a second input, the first input of the processing circuit coupled to the first filter output, the second input of the processing circuit coupled to the second filter output. The processing circuit is configured to detect a subharmonic component of a wave at the first mixer input and the second mixer input using a first direct current (DC) component at the first input of the processing circuit and a second DC component at the second input of the processing circuit.

A circuit for subharmonic detection includes in-phase and quadrature mixers, first and second filters, and a processing circuit. The in-phase mixer has a first mixer input and a first mixer output. The quadrature mixer has a second mixer input and a second mixer output, the first mixer input coupled to the second mixer input. The first filter circuit has a first filter input and a first filter output, the first filter input coupled to the first mixer output. The second filter circuit has a second filter input and a second filter output, the second filter input coupled to the second mixer output. The processing circuit has a first input and a second input, the first input of the processing circuit coupled to the first filter output, the second input of the processing circuit coupled to the second filter output. The processing circuit is configured to detect a subharmonic component of a wave at the first mixer input and the second mixer input using a first direct current (DC) component at the first input of the processing circuit and a second DC component at the second input of the processing circuit.

A travelling wave mixer (TWM) is provided that includes an input artificial transmission line configured to transmit an input signal, an output artificial transmission line configured to transmit an output signal, a local oscillator (LO) artificial transmission line configured to transmit an LO signal, and a plurality of mixer stages connected in parallel between the output artificial transmission and the input artificial transmission line. Each of the mixer stages includes an input amplifier, a mixer and an output amplifier connected in series between the input artificial transmission line and the output artificial transmission line, where an input of the mixer receives an output of the input amplifier, and an output of the mixer is applied to an input of the output amplifier. Further, each of the mixer stages includes a phase-adjustable LO amplifier circuit connected between the LO artificial transmission line and an LO input of the mixer, where the phase-adjustable LO amplifier is configured to adjust an LO signal phase applied to the LO input of each mixer to null out a phase error in each mixer stage independently.

A frequency multiplier includes an input section having inputs to receive an input signal having an input frequency, a mixer section, and an output section magnetically coupled to the input section and generating an output signal in response to the input signal. The mixer section may be coupled to the input section by a common mode node forming a path for a common mode current to flow to the mixer section and be magnetically coupled to the common mode node. The input section may generate a signal current, and the mixer section may be magnetically coupled to the input section and be directly capacitively coupled to the input section through a capacitor in a signal current path. The mixer section may have differential inputs capacitively coupled to the input section and also be coupled to the input section through a current path. A current helper section may be coupled to the current path.

The present invention disclosure provides a multiplier and a power factor correction circuit which the multiplier is applied. The multiplier comprises a Gilbert multiplier circuit comprising a first differential input stage, a second differential input stage and an output stage; a first differential voltage conversion circuit; a second differential voltage conversion circuit; and a bias current generating circuit; Wherein said output stage comprises: a current mirror unit comprising two current input terminals and a current output terminal; and a feedback control unit configured to ensure that the current output terminal does not output current when the voltage difference received by the multiplier is zero. The present invention is advantageous in improving the linearity of the multiplier and the accuracy of the output current of the multiplier output current.

A cascadable AGC amplifier in a signal distribution system includes a low noise cascadable amplifier having a through path and a cascadable output. The cascadable amplifier is also configured to provide AGC over a predetermined input power range. The cascadable AGC amplifier can be configured to provide gain or attenuation. When the cascadable AGC amplifier is implemented in a signal distribution system, typically as part of a signal distribution device, an input signal can be gain controlled and supplied to multiple signal paths without distortion due to degradation of signal to noise ratio or distortion due to higher order amplifier products. The distributed signal is not significantly degraded by distortion regardless of the number of cascadable AGC amplifiers connected in series or the position of the cascadable AGC amplifier in the signal distribution system.