Frequency mixer
In electronics, a mixer, or frequency mixer, is a nonlinear electrical circuit that creates new frequencies from two signals applied to it. In its most common application, two signals at frequencies f1 and f2 are applied to a mixer, and it produces new signals at the sum f1 + f2 and difference f1 − f2 of the original frequencies, called heterodynes. Other frequency components may also be produced in a practical frequency mixer.
Mixers are widely used to shift signals from one frequency range to another, a process known as heterodyning, for convenience in transmission or further signal processing. For example, a key component of a superheterodyne receiver is a mixer used to move received signals to a common intermediate frequency. Frequency mixers are also used to modulate a carrier signal in radio transmitters.
The essential characteristic of a mixer is that it produces a component in its output which is the product of the two input signals. A device that has a non-linear (e.g. exponential) characteristic can act as a mixer. Passive mixers use one or more diodes and rely on the non-linear relation between voltage and current to provide the multiplying element. In a passive mixer, the desired output signal is always of lower power than the input signals.
Active mixers use an amplifying device (such as a transistor or vacuum tube) to increase the strength of the product signal. Active mixers improve isolation between the ports, but may have higher noise and more power consumption. An active mixer can be less tolerant of overload.
Mixers may be built of discrete components, may be part of integrated circuits, or can be delivered as hybrid modules.
Mixers may also be classified by their topology:
Selection of a mixer type is a trade off for a particular application.
Mixer circuits are characterized by their properties such as conversion gain (or loss), and noise figure.
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