Broadband Balanced Mixers

• 26.5-220 GHz operating frequency
• 6 – 12 dB conversion losses
• Good flatness
• Up to 22 GHz IF

• Up to 40 dB balance
• Required LO power 1…20 mW
• VSWR 2:1 (typ.)

• Low noise Receivers of mm-wave signal
• Down converters
• Instruments and test equipment

    Broadband balanced mixers are the key part of mm-wave receivers, down converters numerous instruments and test equipment. Standard line of ELVA-1’s balanced mixers BM-XX/LO/IF/Nseries provide low conversion losses and low noise figure of the devices within wide frequency band from 26.5 to 220 GHz.

      The BM-XX/LO/IF/Nmixers are based on Ga-As Schottky diodes of ELVA-1 own manufacturing. They provide their features within whole waveguide band of RF and LO frequencies. Using original design of the mixer allows reaching IF up to 22 GHz and LO/IF isolation up to 30…40 dB. Standard mixers demand about 10 mW LO power and work without external biasing.

      There are Balanced Mixers producing on custom design together with standard product line. They can work with lower LO power levels at 1-2 mW and higher IF frequencies up to 22 GHz. Low LO power Balanced mixers are biased and have the fourth coaxial input.

     Harmonic mixers are also available for producing. The harmonic mixers have a bit worse conversion losses then mixers working at fundamental harmonic. The advantage of the harmonic mixers is they can be used in the receivers which do not have a LO source with as high operating frequency as RF signal.

     To provide lower noise figure and to have higher RF to IF gain there are balanced mixers BMA-X/LO/IF series with built-in IF pre-amplifier.

Two main designs of the balanced mixers: axed and angle ones, are shown in the pictures above.

Typical specifications of BM-XX/LO/IF/N balanced mixers is given below.