Convertor simplifies basestation front ends

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Nov 25, 2002

The TDA8768B is a high-performance enhancement to Philips' cellular basestation semiconductor portfolio.

The TDA8768B is a high-performance enhancement to Philips' cellular basestation semiconductor portfolio.

This new device is a high-speed 12bit analogue-to-digital convertor that simplifies the RF front-end architecture by eliminating one RF stage and reducing the overall cost of cellular infrastructure TRx boards.

The TDA8768B also addresses other markets such as advanced FM radio, medical imaging, set top boxes, camera scanners and radar applications.

Designed to optimise dynamic range and analogue bandwidth, the TDA8768B chip is ideal for cellular infrastructure reception channel.

While basestations are usually based on two RF stages to convert an analogue signal from 1.9GHz to 0.0GHz, the TDA8768B allows the design to have only one RF step and reduces the number of components in the RF section, thus lowering costs by approximately 30%.

The TDA8768B allows both classical and advanced architectures, supporting both Nyquist and high input frequency interface, to achieve analogue-to-digital conversion.

"Philips continues to offer a broad portfolio of quality standard analogue products that provide the best combination of cost and dynamic performance that meet and exceed customer expectations", said Philippe Rangheard, Product Manager, Standard Analog, Philips Semiconductors.

"The TDA8768B has two major competitive advantages.

It provides high dynamic performance (SNR, SFDR), and it has been characterised with the exact operating points of telecommunication standards such as W-CDMA modulated input signals, specific GSM/EDGE/W-CMDA input frequencies, signal bandwidth and sampling rates".

The TDA8768B is qualified with GSM or W-CDMA modulated signals, and addresses the 2.5G and 3G standards.

The TDA8768B operates at 52 or 80Msample/s with input carriers such as 50 or 175MHz or even higher.

The TDA8768B performances have been proven in most of the possible operating points that are required in cellular basestation applications.

Moreover, its high input impedance and low analogue input load allows the easiest integration into applications.

The TDA8768B is now sampling.

Samples are available worldwide on request.

Volume production is planned for Q4/2002.