Analog Devices' Analog-to-Digital Data Converters Set New Speed and Accuracy Performance Standards.

NORWOOD, Mass. -- Industry's fastest 18-bit SAR ADC and most accurate 20-bit sigma-delta ADC enable cost and design efficiencies in data acquisition and signal processing applications

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Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications and the market leader in data converters, today announced two new data converters that deliver industry-best speeds and unparalleled accuracy at resolutions of 18-bits and above. The new analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) simplify circuit design and decrease system cost by eliminating the need for cumbersome front-end signal conditioning. These advancements provide significant benefits in applications requiring high-performance data conversion, such as instrumentation, imaging and vibration analysis in industrial, medical and communications markets.

ADI's new converters are:

--The fastest, most accurate 18-bit SAR ADC - At 2 MSPS, the AD7641 is four times faster than the closest competition, while improving accuracy by a factor of three, with a typical nonlinearity of 2 LSB and SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) of 93 dB.

--The most accurate, high-speed 20-bit sigma-delta ADC - the AD7760 delivers the industry's highest SNR: 100 dB at 2.5 MSPS.

"Data-conversion technology has evolved to the point that it is now easier and more cost-effective to use higher resolution ADCs in many data acquisition applications including medical imaging and high-speed communications, than the lower resolution converters and front-end PGAs that have often been used," said Dick Meaney, vice president, precision converters at Analog Devices. "These new high resolution converters function better in the analog realm, allowing designers to reduce the complexity and cost of the design process, while achieving unparalleled accuracy and performance levels."

Greater Cost Savings Through Reduced Design Complexity

The front-end signal conditioning traditionally required in high accuracy data acquisition systems is cumbersome and expensive, especially in many-channel systems. The wide dynamic range of the AD7641 and AD7760 allows low-level signals to be converted with minimal front-end analog signal conditioning, which reduces design effort and cost in comparison to solutions using lower-resolution ADCs. In many applications such as vibration analysis and medical imaging, the AD7641 eliminates the need for a discrete, low noise PGA (programmable gain amplifier), while the AD7760 simplifies complex anti aliasing filtering which reduces design work, complexity, cost and time to market. The AD7760 also integrates an on-chip buffer and differential amplifier, allowing the device to be used with minimal external component selection.

More About the AD7641 - Fastest, Most Accurate SAR ADC

The fully differential AD7641 SAR ADC joins Analog Devices' PulSAR(R) family of successive-approximation ADCs. Dissipating only 100mW at 2 MSPS, the AD7641 enables significant cost savings because of its low power consumption. In impulse mode, the new ADC's power dissipation decreases with throughput to allow users total flexibility, from fastest throughput to lowest power consumption. Its 2-MSPS sampling rate lets the AD7641 replace several ADCs in multi-channel applications, reducing the number of discrete parts required. The 18-bit AD7641 operates from a single 2.5-V supply and provides an internal conversion clock, an internal reference buffer, error correction circuits and serial and parallel system interface ports. To drive the ADC in high-precision applications the AD7641 can be coupled with Analog Devices' AD8021, a high-performance amplifier featuring low noise and low distortion.

More About the AD7760 - Most Accurate, High-Speed Sigma-Delta ADC

The first in Analog Devices' AD776x family of 20-bit sigma delta converters, the AD7760 sigma delta ADC combines wide input bandwidth and high speed with the benefits of sigma-delta conversion and provides breakthrough performance of 100dB SNR at 2.5MSPS, making it ideal for high speed data acquisition. Wide dynamic range and significantly reduced anti aliasing requirements truly simplify the design process, providing cost savings when compared to lower performance devices requiring considerable front end signal processing.

An integrated buffer to drive the reference, differential amplifier for signal buffering and level shifting, an over-range flag, internal gain- & offset registers, and a low-pass digital FIR filter combine to make the AD7760 a compact highly integrated data acquisition device requiring minimal peripheral component selection. In addition, the AD7760 allows designers to adjust the filter if its default characteristics are not appropriate to the application. By simplifying high performance data acquisition, the AD7760 becomes ideal for applications demanding industry leading SNR without the need to design complex front end signal processing circuitry.

Pricing and Availability

The AD7641 is priced at $32.95 per unit in 1,000-piece quantities and is packaged in a 48-lead LFCSP (lead frame chip scale package) or LQFP (low profile quad flat pack). The AD7760 comes in 64-lead TQFP (thin quad flat pack) and 48-lead LFCSP and is priced at $34.95 per unit in 1,000-piece quantities. Both products are sampling now with full production expected in October 2004 for the AD7641 and February 2005 for the AD7760. For more information, please visit: www.analog.com/AD7641 and www.analog.com/AD7760.

About Analog Devices

Analog Devices, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of precision high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications. ADI is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, and employs approximately 8,700 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, Ireland, and the Philippines. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and ADI is included in the S&P 500 Index.