Wideband microwave synthesiser has VCO for ‘breakthrough’ performance
Claimed to deliver an industry leading phase noise, the ADF5620 is a wideband fractional-N synthesiser from Analog Devices.
It has an integrated voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and generates RF outputs from 55MHz to 15GHz and provides the industry’s lowest phase noise performance on a single chip, claims ADI.
The synthesiser is designed for markets as diverse as aerospace and defence, wireless infrastructure, microwave point-to-point links, electronic test and measurement, and satellite terminals.
When compared to alternative solutions that require multiple narrowband GaAs voltage controlled oscillators and phase-locked loops (PLLs), the ADF5610 offers 50 per cent less power dissipation, a smaller footprint and simpler architecture, says ADI, all of which translates into bill of materials cost savings and reduced time to market.
Developed on ADI’s proprietary SiGe BiCMOS process, the ADF5610 enables high modulation bandwidths and low BIT error rates. It features industry leading VCO phase noise (-114dBc/Hz at 100kHz offset and -165dBc/Hz at 100MHz offset both at 10GHz) and low normalised phase noise floor (FOM) of -229dBc/Hz. The integrated PLL function provides fast frequency hopping and lock times (less than 50 micro seconds with appropriate loop filter). The phase detector spurious levels are below -45dBc typical, and the RF output power level is 6dBm.
The ADF5610 wideband fractional-N synthesizer is supported by the ADIsimPLL, ADI’s PLL synthesiser design and simulation tool for assessing phase noise, lock time, jitter and other design considerations. It is also customer programmable through the use of integrated SPI and control software.
The ADF5610 is specified over the -40 to +85 degree C range. It operates from nominal 3.3V analogue and digital power supplies as well as 5V charge pump and VCO supplies, and features 1.8V logic-level compatibility. The synthesiser also contains hardware and software power down modes.
The ADF5610 is in production from next month and supplied in a 7.0 x 7.0mm LFCSP.
