A
radio frequency amplifier with improved
linearity and minimal third-order
distortion. The
amplifier includes a first
transistor having first, second and third terminals with the first terminal being an input terminal and the second terminal being the output terminal and the third terminal being a common terminal. A
linearization circuit is included having first and second terminals. The first terminal is connected to the common terminal of the
transistor and the second terminal is connected to the input terminal of the
transistor. In a specific embodiment, the
linearization circuit is implemented as a
unity gain buffer with an input terminal connected to the common terminal of the transistor and an output terminal connected to the input terminal of the transistor. In accordance with the inventive teachings, the buffer has a
low gain and high
output impedance at first frequency (f1) of a first
signal applied to the circuit and a second frequency (f2) of a second
signal applied to the circuit and a
unity gain and low
output impedance a difference between the first and second frequencies. In another specific embodiment, the
inductor is inserted between the output of the
unity gain buffer and the input terminal of the transistor. In alternative embodiments, circuitry is shown for providing a
direct current offset at the input of the transistor. As another alternative, the
linearization circuit consists of series
inductor and
capacitor connected between the common and input terminals of the transistor. In yet another embodiment, the linearization circuit consists of the first and the second series
inductor and
capacitor circuits. The first series
LC circuit is connected between the common terminal of the transistor and ground and the second series
LC circuit is connected between the input terminal of the transistor and ground.