Patent ID: 8818310

Claim:
A passive mixer circuit comprising at least a first mixer branch, the first mixer branch comprising: first and second switching transistors connected from a first output signal terminal to first and second input signal terminals, respectively, and arranged to be switched on by active levels of first and second local oscillator, (LO) signals, respectively; third and fourth switching transistors connected from a second output signal terminal to the first and second input signal terminals, respectively, and arranged to be switched on by active levels of the second and first LO signals, respectively; wherein said passive mixer circuit is characterized by further comprising: a local oscillator, (LO) circuit arranged to provide the first and second LO signals at an LO frequency, so that each of the first and second LO signals has an active-level duty cycle of less than 50% and so that the first and second LO signals are separated so as to form first inactive intervals in which neither of the first and second LO signals is at an active level, and to provide third and fourth, non-overlapping, LO signals at the LO frequency and that are each at active levels only during respective alternating ones of the first inactive intervals; and one or more high-side bypass switches connected between a circuit ground and the first input signal terminal and one or more low-side bypass switches connected between the circuit ground and the second input signal terminal, wherein the bypass switches are arranged so that at least one of the high-side bypass switches and at least one of the low-side bypass switches are activated, by the third and fourth LO signals, during each of the first inactive intervals.