Noise Figure Circles - Part I — Lesson 7

This lesson covers the fundamental aspects of noise in amplifier design. It delves into the concept of noise, how to characterize it, and the importance of noise figure in amplifier design. The lesson also explains the concept of noise measure and how it helps in determining the arrangement of elements in a cascade to achieve the lowest noise figure. It further discusses the concept of constant noise figure circles and how they can be used in designing a particular value of noise figure. For instance, the lesson uses the example of a two-port network to illustrate these concepts.

Video Highlights

01:24 - Understanding of noise
03:43 - Average and types of average
07:47 - Discussion on autocorrelation function
13:57 - Noise in two-port networks
20:55 - Properties of noise figure
27:08 - Noise measure

Key Takeaways

- Noise is a random process that does not have a fixed value and can be characterized by its average or moments.
- Noise figure is a crucial aspect of amplifier design, which is the ratio of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the input to the SNR at the output.
- The noise figure of a passive device is equal to its attenuation.
- The noise measure helps in determining the arrangement of elements in a cascade to achieve the lowest noise figure.
- Constant noise figure circles can be used in designing a particular value of noise figure in a two-port network.