Hernandez, Samuel B.

2010-42888
EE 171 C
November 21, 2014

PHASE MODULATOR CIRCUITS

A. Varactor Phase Modulator.
A simple phase-shift circuit can be used as a phase modulator if the resistance or
capacitance can be made to vary with the modulating signal. A varactor can be used to
vary capacitance and achieve phase shift modulation.

B. Transistor Phase Modulator.

A transistor can be used as a variable resistor to create a phase modulator. A
standard common emitter class A amplifier biased into the linear region is used in PM.
The transistor from collector to ground acts like a resistor. The transistors resistance
forms part of the phase shifting circuit.

C. Tuned- Circuit Phase Modulator.

The tuned circuit or LC phase modulator is one of several methods used to
generate phase modulation for communications transmitters. LC phase modulator is one
form of a reactance modulator. The LC modulator is a circuit that is resonant at the
frequency that is to be phase modulated. The circuit can be a parallel or series resonant
circuit, however the series circuit is the most common. Whether the circuit is parallel or
series, the operation principle is the same.

MIXER CIRCUITS
A. Diode Mixer.
One of the most wildly used type of mixer is simple diode modulator or mixer.
Diode mixers are most commonly found in microwave applications.

B. Singly Balanced Mixer.

Singly balanced mixer is another popular type of mixer that uses two diodes. The
signal is applied to the primary side of the transformer, whereas the LO is applied to the
center tap of the secondary side. The output signal is developed across an RFC and then
applied to a filter or tuned circuit which selects the sum or different frequency.

C. Double Balanced Mixer.

A double balanced mixer are very popular at high frequencies like VHF and UHF.

D. FET Mixer.
By using FET mixers, the performance can be improved. The FET is biased so
that it operates in a nonlinear portion of its characteristics. The input signal is applied is
applied to the gate. While the LO signal is coupled to the source.
Another FET mixer is dual-gate MOSFET mixer, where the input signal is
applied to one gate while LO is coupled to the other gate. It provides superior
performance in mixing applications, have high gain and low noise.

E. IC mixer.
A popular IC mixer is the NE602, it consists of a double balanced mixer circuit
made up of two cross connected differential amplifier. It contains a cross-connected
differential amplifier mixer circuit and on chip local oscillator. The circuit can be used at
frequencies up to 500 MHz, which makes it useful in HF, VHF and low frequency UHF
applications.

F. Image Reject Mixer.

Image rejection mixer is often used to eliminate one sideband from converting to
the IF frequency. It can be particularly useful in reducing the overall system cost by
enabling the complexity of filters to be reduced.

REFERENCES:
Frenzel E.L. (1995). Communication Electronics. 2nd Ed. Macmillan/McGraw-Hill: New
York.
Huang C. (2008). FM Circuits. The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Image reject mixer basics. Retrieved on November 25, 2014 from www.radioelectronics.com/info/rf-technology/image-rejection-mixer.
Image rejection mixer. Retrieved on November 25, 2014 from
www.microwaves101.com/microwave-encyclopedia/542-image-rejection-mixers.
Leenerts V. (2005). The Tuned Circuit LC Phase Modulator.