+34dBm IIP3, 0.4-1GHz common-drain stage with its high frequency analysis

A highly linear common-drain (CD) configuration is designed and measured. The third-order nonlinearity of the transconductance which is a major contributor to the third-order nonlinearity in the CD configuration, is linearised by applying the multiple gated transistor technique. In addition, the harmonic feedback effect in the configuration, which limits linearity improvement, is solved by employing an LC resonator as a load impedance. The solution is suggested by the high frequency analysis using the Volterra series. This circuit is implemented with a 0.13m CMOS process. Measurement results show a NF of 4.2dB, an IIP3 of 34dBm, and a gain of -4.3dB at 7.2mW of power consumption.