A 20–25 GHz Transformer-Based Improved Multipath Noise-Canceling LNA With 2 dB Minimum NF in 40-nm CMOS

A 20–25 GHz Transformer-Based Improved Multipath Noise-Canceling LNA With 2 dB Minimum NF in 40-nm CMOS

clockVolume: 74, Issue: 3, March 2026

authorZiyao Wang

A 20–25 GHz Transformer-Based Improved Multipath Noise-Canceling LNA With 2 dB Minimum NF in 40-nm CMOS

Abstract
DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2025.3648302   IEEEXplore: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11351306    
Device
Low-noise amplifier (LNA) based on a transformer-assisted improved multipath noise-canceling (IMNC) architecture in 40-nm CMOS.
Spectrum
20 – 25 GHz
Novelty
The IMNC architecture utilizes a three-coil transformer to boost the common gate (CG) stage gain, consequently improving the common source (CS) stage noise cancellation by up to 50% without additional power consumption The transformer introduces an auxiliary noise-canceling path that enables partial self-cancellation of the CG stage noise, reducing its contribution by up to 29%.
Application
High dynamic range receivers with high gain and low noise figure for silicon-based phased-array transceivers in millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication systems.
Performance
5.1 GHz 3-dB bandwidth from 19.9–25 GHz, 14.5 dB peak gain, 2.0 dB minimum noise figure (NF), 22.4 mW power consumption, 0.16 mm2 core chip area.