Patent ID: 9154081
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: H03D

Abstract:
1. A sub-harmonic mixer comprising: a mixer circuit with an input port for an RF signal and an input port for an LO signal; an output port at which the mixer circuit is arranged to output a signal which is the product of the signals at the mixer circuit's input ports; and an LO switching stage with a first input port for the LO signal and a second input port for the LO signal phase shifted 180 degrees with respect to its phase at the first input port, wherein the LO switching stage further comprises: and wherein the mixer circuit comprises a transconductance mixer which in turn comprises a power combiner with two input ports and one output port, with one of the two input ports used as the input port for an RF signal and the other as the input port for the LO signal, and the output port connected to the base/gate of a bipolar/FET transistor which is also comprised in the transconductance mixer, with the collector/drain of the bipolar/FET transistor being used as the output port of the transconductance mixer, with the emitter/source of the bipolar/FET transistor being grounded.