A power detector having temperature compensation for improved measurement
performance includes a pair of rectifier transistors coupled to a
differential input signal biased by a first temperature dependent
current. An output of the pair of rectifier transistors provides a first
component of a differential DC output signal. The first component of the
differential DC output signal includes a DC voltage proportional to an
amplitude of the differential input signal plus an offset voltage. The
power detector further includes a reference transistor biased by a
reference current. The reference current includes a second temperature
dependent current and a temperature independent offset current for
temperature compensation. An output of the reference transistor provides
a second component of the differential DC output signal that includes a
reference voltage. The temperature independent offset current is adjusted
such that the reference voltage substantially equals the offset voltage,
thereby improving the precision of the power detector.