A 4-element phased-array system with simultaneous spatial- and frequency-domain filtering at the antenna inputs

To reject strong interference in excess of 0 dBm, a 4- element LO-phase shifting phased-array receiver with 8-phase passive mixers terminated by baseband capacitors is presented. The passive mixers upconvert both the spatial and frequency domain filtering from baseband to RF, hence realizing blocker suppression directly at the antenna inputs. A comprehensive mathematical model provides a set of closed-form equations describing the spatial and frequency domain filtering including imperfections. A prototype is realized in 28 nm CMOS. It exploits third harmonic reception to achieve a wide RF-frequency range from 0.6–4.5 GHz at 34–119 mW power dissipation, while also providing impedance matching. Out of the band/beam, a 1 dB-compression point as high as +12/+10 dBm has been measured. The 1-element noise figure over the RF-frequency range is 4–6.3 dB, while in-beam/band IIP3 values of 0– +2.6 dBm are measured. This proposed technique can be instrumental to make RF receivers more robust for interference, while still being flexibly tunable in frequency.