LO_phase_noise and its effect ...

LO_phase_noise and its effect on Recerver PerformanceTech-note

The Communications Edge Author: C. John Grebenkemper

Local Oscillator Phase Noise and its Effect on Receiver Performance
All superheterodyne receivers use one or more local oscillators to convert an input frequency to an intermediate frequency before the signal is demodulated. In the ideal receiver, these frequency conversions would not distort the input signal, and all information on the signal could be recovered. In a real-world receiver, both the mixer used for converting the signal’s frequency and the local oscillator will distort the signal and limit the receiver’s ability to recover the modulation on a signal. Mixer degradations, such as undesired mixing products, can be minimized by proper design in the rest of the receiver. The local oscillator degradations, which are