A Ku-band CMOS LNA with transformer feedforward gm-boosting technique

This paper presents the design of a Ku-band CMOS low noise amplifier (LNA) with noise reduction and gain improvement. A transformer feedforward gm-boosting technique is employed in a single-ended common-gate LNA to reduce the noise figure (NF) and improve the gain simultaneously. A single cascode is the second stage of the LNA. Fabricated in 0.18um RF CMOS process, the LNA exhibits a minimum noise figure (NF) of 3.6 dB at 17.5 GHz and a highest power gain of 18 dB at 17.5GHz in measurement. The LNA only consumes 7mA from a power supply of 1.8V and the total area of this design is 0.6*0.8 mm
²
.