Introduction of low noise amplifier for ultra-wideband radar receiver

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] In recent years, taking care of the older population demands a greater degree of versatility in healthcare. Automatic monitoring devices and sensors can help senior citizens achieve greater autonomy, and, if a health event arises, alert healthcare providers [30]. We make use of Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology to make an automatic monitoring system for healthcare monitoring. Radar is a different direction than present research going on at the University of Missouri in that present research uses cameras, sound and movement sensors to monitor subjects. In this thesis, I did work on the receiver part of this UWB system. In our system the radar signal is reflected by a person and we use an antenna to receive it. The received signal gives information on identity, location and movement of the subject. My work is to provide a novel low-noise Amplifier (LNA) design. Major contributions include: Analysis of parameters of an LNA design which represent the important characteristics of for an ultra-wideband short range radar system. Comparison of classic LNAs and documenting of techniques to design our new LNA. Analysis of noise reduction methods from the comparison LNAs in literature and a description of the LNA design selected for this project. Presentation of the benefits of the selected LNA topology, the common gate amplifier and simulation analysis.