Master Degree (LM) in Electronic Engineering MICROWAVES NOISE AND NON-LINEAR DISTORTION Prof. Luca Perregrini Università di Pavia, Facoltà di Ingegneria
[email protected] http://microwave.unipv.it/perregrini/ Microwaves, a.a. 2019/20 Prof. Luca Perregrini Noise and non-linear distortion, pag. 1 SUMMARY Chapter 10 Microwaves, a.a. 2019/20 Prof. Luca Perregrini Noise and non-linear distortion, pag. 2 SUMMARY • Dynamic range and sources of noise • Noise power, equivalent noise temperature, measurement of noise temperature • Noise figure of a component and of a cascaded system • Noise figure of a passive two-port network, a mismatched lossy line, a mismatched amplifier • Nonlinear distortion • Gain compression • Harmonic and intermodulation distortion • Third-order intercept point • Intercept point of a cascaded system • Linear and spurious free dynamic range Microwaves, a.a. 2019/20 Prof. Luca Perregrini Noise and non-linear distortion, pag. 3 MOTIVATION Noise is critical to the performance of most RF and microwave communications, radar, and remote sensing systems. Noise determines the threshold for the minimum signal that can be reliably detected by a receiver. Noise power in a receiver will be introduced from the external environment through the receiving antenna, as well as generated internally by the receiver circuitry. The sources of noise in RF and microwave systems, and the characterization of components in terms of noise temperature and noise figure, including the effect of impedance mismatch, will be studied. Compression, harmonic distortion, intermodulation distortion, and dynamic range will also be discussed. These can have important limiting effects when large signal levels are present in mixers, amplifiers, and other components that use nonlinear devices such as diodes and transistors.