A monolithic upconverter integrated circuit is described which performs the first frequency conversion of a dual conversion cable television (CATV) receiver. The upconverter chip includes three functional blocks: a Gilbert type image-rejecting mixer, a phase splitter, and a voltage-controlled oscillator. Mixing is performed by a novel Gilbert type mixer including image-rejection inductors to improve the noise figure of the mixer. A differential circuit topology allows the monolithic upconverter chip to utilize a plastic dual inline batwing package without considerable performance loss. On-chip RF bypass networks, in the form of series RC terminations, also help compensate for the undesirable effects of pin inductances in the dual inline package. A resistor-based DC biasing scheme dramatically reduces power-up latency, allowing faster testing.
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