Sites:
Home > Technical Library > Networking and Communication Equipment > 10.6: Noise and the Low-Noise Amplifier

10.6: Noise and the Low-Noise Amplifier

By Scott R. Bullock
From Broadband Communications and Home Networking

10.6 Noise and the Low-Noise Amplifier

The LNA is critical to the design of a satellite communications system. The system is improved directly for each improvement in the LNA. The LNA is the main element that sets the noise for the receiver. Unless there are large losses after the LNA, or the bandwidth becomes larger for some reason, which both of these factors may affect the overall noise figure of the system, the LNA is the determining element for the noise figure. Therefore, except for minor adjustments, the LNA sets the noise figure for the receiver. The complete noise factor equation is


where

  • F t=total noise factor,

  • F 1= noise factor of the LNA,

  • F 2=noise factor of the next amplifier stage,

  • F 3=noise factor of the third amplifier in the receiver,

  • G 1=gain of the LNA,

  • G 2=gain of the next amplifier after the LNA,

  • Losses=losses between the different stages.

The noise figure is calculated using the noise factor as follows:


The noise figure is the LNA (and all additional losses from the following stages according to the Equation 10.2) since the losses in the preceding stages between the antenna and the LNA are included in the budget. If there is loss between the antenna and the LNA, the signal level will be affected. The noise remains the same unless there is a change in temperature from the input of the loss to the output, which is generally not the case. Once...

Copyright Noble Publishing Corporation 2001 under license agreement with Books24x7
Products & Services
Noise Figure Meters
RF noise figure meters measure the noise contribution of an amplifier relative to a noise-free amplifier at a reference temperature. Usually expressed in dB for Ku-band amplifiers.
Differential Amplifier Chips
Differential amplifier chips are designed to amplify the difference between two input signals. They can amplify a small difference between two signal levels and ignore any common level shared between them.
S Meters
S meters (strength meters, signal-strength meters) measure the strength of signals in communication systems such as receivers and transmitters.
Fiber Optic Receivers
Fiber optic receivers are instruments that convert light into electrical signals. They contain a photodiode semiconductor, signal conditioning circuitry, and an amplifier.
RF Amplifiers
RF amplifiers are devices that accept a varying input signal and produce an output signal that varies in the same way, but with larger amplitude.
Topics of Interest

10.7 The Link Budget The link budget uses the noise and LNA along with the signal level to determine the range and quality of the satellite link. To calculate the signal or carrier level at the...

3. Low Noise Amplifiers A low noise amplifier (LNA) is the first active stage of an RF receiver (Fig. 8). The foremost task of an LNA is to amplify the RF signal and suppress noise contributions...

1.6 Receiver The receiver accepts the signal that was sent by the transmitter through the channel via the receiver antenna (see Figure 1-4). The losses from the antenna to the low noise amplifier...

1.9 Problems 1. Show that a specification of 0 dBm 2 dBm is an impossible statement and write a correct statement for it. 2. Solve for the total signal level through the...

By Dale D. Henkes Overview From APPLIED MICROWAVE & WIRELESS, VOL. 10, NO. 10, OCTOBER 1998 The noise figure of a single-stage transistor amplifier is a function of the impedance applied to...