Phase noise prediction in nonlinear mixer circuits

The double balance mixer is a versatile component that is widely used used in various electronic applications. As a result, acquiring correct measurements means that it is not trivial to calculate its phase noise contribution. A 5MHz double balance mixer from Barnes et al will be studied. The mixer is comprised of commercial off-the-shelf components where the transformers contain a 1:5 impedance ratio that holds the ports at 50 Ω. It will utilise four 2N2222A transistors that operate as its diode ring where the collector and base ports are shorted. The mixer is explored in its conversion loss and phase noise contribution. This mixer will be constructed and measured using Macquarie University's laboratory equipment. The aim is to acquire similar results of conversion loss and phase noise to the literature report and to evaluate them. This leads to the research question: can phase noise be correctly simulated in nonlinear mixer circuits?