Quasi-double balanced passive reflection FET mixer

摘要

FET mixers requiring relatively low local oscillator power levels and having excellent isolation of the local oscillator signal relative to the radio and intermediate frequency signal. The mixer comprises a first and second FET transistor (Q1, Q2) having their gates and sources connected together such that the first and second FET transistors are in series; a local oscillator input circuit; a coupling network comprising a transmission line balun; a diplexer circuit; and a bias circuit. In one aspect, the transmission line balun divides the voltage of an incident traveling wave equally between the first and second transmission line components, and sums the currents of traveling waves generated by the transmission line components to generate an exitant traveling wave signal. The RF signal is completely reflected by each the FET transistors with no phase shift when they are nonconducting (OFF), and completely reflected by each of the FET transistors with a 180. degree. phase shift when they are conducting (ON) owing to the different relative impedances. A diplexer circuit separates an intermediate frequency signal from the exitant traveling wave signal, and substantially all of said RF signal incident on the first and second FETs is reflected from the FETs during ON and OFF conduction state such that commutation of the RF signal during each half cycle of the local oscillator signal is symmetrical, and such that the RF reflected signal components in the reflected wave are substantially canceled from the exitant traveling wave to generate the intermediate-frequency (IF) signal.