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MMIQ-0520H
4.4 Band Shifter
A band shifter is an unusual application for a mixer. Band shifters take an IF signal and shift it to a
different band, generally to either avoid interference or for rebroadcast at a different frequency.
For cases in which the desired band shift cannot be employed by using a standard up or down
conversion scheme, an exotic input scheme is required.
A passive diode mixer is reciprocal on all ports. Port 1, the RF port, supports a 5-20GHz signal.
Port 2, the LO port, supports a 5-20GHz signal. Ports 3 and 4, the IF ports, support a DC-6GHz
signal. 2 signals input into any combination of the 3 ports, RF, LO, or IF, will result in an output
signal at the 3rd port. In addition, an output signal will be present at both input ports. By using the
IF port, as a large signal input port, low frequency LO applications can be supported.
The diagram above shows an IQ mixer being used as a band shifter. Using an IQ mixer as a band
shifter allows for sideband suppression. This is identical to using the IQ mixer as a single sideband
up converter. However, the large signal input port is now 3+4 versus port 2. Selection of the
output tone is done through the orientation of the LO quadrature hybrid.
To use the mixer as a single sideband band shifter, input a low frequency large signal LO into the
external LO quadrature hybrid. Input the high frequency small signal IF signal into port 2 and take
the high frequency RF output from port 1. Select the upper sideband (i.e., suppress the lower
sideband) by connecting the I port to the 90° port of the IF quadrature hybrid and connect the Q
port to the 0° port of the LO quadrature hybrid. Select the lower sideband (i.e., suppress the
upper sideband) by connecting the I port to the 0° port of the LO quadrature hybrid and connect
the Q port to the 90° port of the LO quadrature hybrid.
This is the input scheme used to take band shifter data found in the Typical Performance Plots:
Band Shifter section.
Using this input scheme requires careful accounting of which input signal is injected which port.
Injecting a signal into any port which does not support the correct band will lead to a degraded or
no output response. Abide by the maximum DC current input into the I and Q ports of the mixer or
otherwise irreversible damage to the mixer will occur.
The limiting factor in use of the mixer as an image reject band shifter is in the bandwidth of the
external LO quadrature hybrid and bandwidth of the I and Q ports.
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