Product category:
Analogue and Mixed Signal ICs
News Release from: Analog Devices | Subject: AD9956
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 30 April 2004
Synthesiser brings DDS and PLL together
Designers can achieve faster, smarter RF synthesis systems using the industry's first low-cost low-power monolithic solution to integrate both direct digital synthesis and phased locked loop circuits.
Designers can achieve faster, smarter RF synthesis systems using the industry's first low cost, low power, monolithic solution to integrate both direct digital synthesis (DDS) and phased locked loop (PLL) circuitry The AgileRF synthesiser is designed for low-power applications such as radar systems used in automobiles, marine and military equipment, as well as satellite communications and instrumentation that benefit from highly linearised frequency and phase sweeping at RF frequencies
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 2 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
A/D convertor measures smaller signals faster
Sigma-delta ADC achieves greater than true 16bit noise-free resolution up to 2.4kHz across all input voltages from 40mV to 5V.
SAR convertor claims record speed and accuracy
A/D convertor achieves a new level of 16bit data capture performance, with best-in-class 15bit ENOB and 10Msample/s throughput.
It is capable of operating within the ISM (industrial, scientific and medical), band of frequencies which is widely used in a broad spectrum of electronic equipment, and localised, low power applications ranging from garage door openers to gaming systems to home security systems.
The AD9956, the second member of ADI's AgileRF synthesiser family, offers increased functionality and reduced costs in systems requiring phase and frequency agility and exceptional resolution at RF frequencies.
These systems include fine-tuning LO generation, radar, low-jitter clock generation, and frequency and phase modulation applications.
Further reading
Front-end IC cleans up transmitter designs
The ADF9010 integrates a high-performance transmitter quadrature modulator with an integer-N synthesiser and on-chip low-phase-noise voltage-controlled oscillator.
Demodulator and amp cut receiver complexity
Combined two-chip solution can reduce the active component count by 60% within a radio design, providing considerable board area and bill of material savings.
Microcontrollers integrate 24bit convertors
With on-chip 24bit sigma-delta ADCs, the ADuC706x provides the resolution required by today's high-performance industrial and instrumentation equipment.
Using less board space and fewer components, the device reduces system cost by up to 20% compared with traditional designs using multiple DDS, PLL, and clock driver components.
"Analog Devices is continuing to advance RF design to new levels, using sophisticated integration techniques and proprietary technology to drive down the cost and complexity of the design process", said Kevin Kattmann, Product Line Director for High Speed Convertors, Analog Devices.
"By combining the industry's best frequency agility and up-conversion technology, the AgileRF synthesisers brings us another step closer to delivering the ultimate, single-chip solution that provides all the performance advantages of a customised solution, without the added design costs or difficulties".
Among the AgileRF synthesiser's unique features is its narrow linear frequency sweep, which allows radar systems to use the principle of pulse compression.
The synthesiser enables simple, highly linearised radar sweeps by generating a precision clock for the DDS.
This can be used to generate ramped frequencies up to 2.7GHz, something which cannot be done using a DDS alone.
The scaleable charge pump current feature allows user-defined control over loop-bandwidth enabling the system designer to change loop bandwidths through software.
The device also contains multiplexers that enable different synthesiser configurations, minimise the need for custom hardware designs, and simplify the design, prototype, and development stages.
The AD9956 is comprised of advanced DDS and PLL circuitry, as well as a 650MHz PECL-compliant CML clock driver with programmable slew rates.
The DDS component features a 14bit digital-to-analogue convertor operating up to 400Msample/s, and an advanced phase-detector/ charge pump combination that, when configured with an external VCO, enables the synthesis of digitally programmable, frequency-agile analogue output sinusoidal waveforms at up to 2.7GHz.
The PLL circuitry includes a phase detector with scaleable 200MHz inputs (prescaler inputs operate up to 650MHz) and digital control over the charge pump current.
The AD9956 is designed to provide fast frequency hopping and fine-tuning resolution (48bit frequency tuning word).
The frequency tuning and control words are loaded into the AD9956 via a serial I/O port which has a device write speed of 25Mbit/s.
The device's DDS block also supports a user-defined linear sweep mode of operation.
The AD9956 is specified to operate over the extended automotive temperature range of -40 to +125C.
The AD9956 is sampling now in 48-lead LFCSP (lead form chip scale) packages, and will be available in full production in June 2004.
The AD9956 is priced at $17.25 per unit in 1000-piece quantities.
• Analog Devices: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
