Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/7647-adi-s-14-bit-converter-performs-direct-digital-synthesis

ADI's 14 Bit Converter Performs Direct Digital Synthesis

March 16, 2009

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), a leader in data-conversion technology, introduced a pair of 14-bit DACs that perform direct digital synthesis for signals up to 3.6 GHz. These high performance converters extend ADI’s TxDAC® family of transmit digital-to-analog converters by delivering an unmatched combination of usable bandwidth and effective dynamic range to communications equipment manufacturers worldwide.

The new AD9789 and AD9739 TxDACs feature ADI’s proprietary Mix-Mode™ Super Nyquist Architecture, which supports high fidelity digital synthesis of RF signals up to 3.6 GHz. The combination of best-in-class bandwidth and dynamic range with a direct-to-RF core allows broadband and next-generation-wireless equipment designers to use a single transmit-DAC architecture for multiple communications standards while eliminating an off-chip mixer and low-pass filter to reduce design complexity, cost, size and power. The mix-mode capability was introduced two years ago with the release of ADI’s AD974x and AD978x TxDAC product series.

“Given the demands that carriers are placing on broadband-communication systems, the ability to maximize usable bandwidth and dynamic range creates a clear advantage,” said Dave Robertson, product line director for high speed signal-processing, Analog Devices. “Whether the system in question is today’s latest cable-infrastructure equipment or tomorrow’s advanced digital-radio design, high-performance data conversion is the key to unlocking the advantages of a true direct-to-RF transmit architecture.”