An integrated semiconductor image-rejection mixer having high linearity
and high gain. In addition to the components of a classic image-rejection
architecture, the present mixer has a high-frequency current-diverting
stage that permits the operation of the output stage with high conversion
gain and sufficient headroom for good linearity, even in cases where the
supply voltage is relatively low (such as 3 V). The conversion gain of
the mixer and its image-rejection performance can be changed by changing
the load resistances and the elements of the output polyphase network,
with minor effects on linearity and no change in power consumption or DC
levels. The power consumption of the image-rejection mixer is low because
no additional DC current is required for buffers or amplifier stages. A
direct upconversion double quadrature mixer stacked with an RF VGA and
load tank using an R-C, R-6C single pole current mode signal path I/Q
combiner and employing a common stage as both the IQ combiner termination
and the VGA control point is also disclosed.