Analog Devices Advances DDS Technology with Industry's Fastest Digital Synthesizers to Integrate 14-Bit Digital-to-Analog Converters.

Targeting High-Speed Communications, Instrumentation and Military Applications, 1 GSPS DDS ICs with Integrated 14-Bit DACs Offer Improved Dynamic Performance.

NORWOOD, Mass. -- Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal-processing applications, today announced that it has more than doubled the clock speed of direct digital synthesizer (DDS) integrated circuits (ICs) with on-chip 14-bit digital-to-analog converters (DACs). The industry leader in developing advanced DDS solutions, ADI's DDS ICs use digital technology to synthesize analog waveforms, used in a wide range of frequency agile applications, such as wireless base stations, military and commercial radar, test equipment and secure communications systems. The AD9910 and AD9957 are the first DDS devices to achieve speeds of 1 giga samples per second (GSPS), while lowering power consumption by more than 50 percent, ensuring the DDS ICs meet the requirements of a broad range of communications, instrumentation and defense applications.

The 1 GSPS operating speed combined with the 14-bit DAC resolution of the AD9910 DDS allows communications, defense and instrumentation system engineers to improve dynamic performance for output frequencies to 400 megahertz (MHz). For wireless and wired systems, the AD9957 DDS modulator or quadrature digital upconverter (QDUC) simplifies data transmission by offering real outputs up to intermediate frequencies of 400 MHz.

"Increasing clock speeds to 1 GSPS on high-resolution DDS ICs allows our customers to generate higher output frequencies with improved dynamic performance," said Kevin Kattmann, product line director, High Speed Signal Processing Group, Analog Devices. "The new DDS products represent a significant step forward, providing 8 to 12 dB better spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) when compared to previous generations. By improving SFDR and reducing the DDS core power consumption, ADI continues to expand the number of markets that can take advantage of digital synthesis solutions."

The AD9910 and AD9957 are the first devices developed on a new, low-power DDS core that consumes only one-tenth the power of previous generation cores. Patented technology licensed from Pentomics, a California-based company that specializes in circuit design and signal processing for digital communications, was instrumental in helping reduce core power consumption.

DDS circuit designers at ADI utilized Pentomics' Star DDS Designer[R] software and Star DDS Analyzer[R] software tools in the design and analysis of DDS cores to help ensure the most efficient DDS chip design for a given application. In conjunction with these software tools, ADI has also licensed "A System for Analysis and Design of Direct Digital Frequency Synthesizers" and "Method and Apparatus for Improved Direct Digital Frequency Synthesizer" patents from Pentomics.

DDS Offers Wide Parallel Load Interface for Fast Programming

Featuring a 16-bit parallel port with update rates to 250 MHz, the AD9910 digital synthesizer allows designers to update a 32-bit frequency tuning word every 8 ns. This fast programming capability benefits applications requiring extremely fast changes in frequency or phase, such as high-speed waveform generators, frequency hopping synthesizers, secure communications, and a variety of radar and scanning systems. The AD9910's 14-bit DAC resolution and 1 GSPS clock rate translate into improved SFDR and phase noise performance across all these applications.

In addition, the AD9910 offers a 70 percent reduction in power dissipation when compared to existing solutions, consuming just 700 milliwatts at full operating speed. The enhanced on-chip reference clock multiplier reduces system cost by generating the internal 1 GSPS clock from a low frequency, low cost external source. Additional features added to the DDS core include: a secondary accumulator for linear sweeping of frequency, phase or amplitude; RAM for user defined non-linear sweeping; and circuitry easing synchronization if multiple devices are needed in a single system.

The newest member of ADI's portfolio of DDS devices, the AD9910 may be combined with the new ADCMP60x comparators or AD951x clock dividers, to generate programmable high-speed, low-jitter clock solutions. ADI's ADIsimDDS[TM] online evaluation tool assists users in selecting, evaluating and troubleshooting ADI's DDS ICs. Designed with flexibility in mind for a broad range of applications, the AD9910 is priced at $35 per unit in 1,000-piece quantities.

QDUC Supports Outputs up to 400 MHz

The AD9957 QDUC integrates a high-speed DDS, a 14-bit DAC, clock multiplier circuitry and digital filters on a single chip, enabling uncomplicated, cost-effective baseband up-conversion for data transmission in wired or wireless communications infrastructure systems, including WiMAX applications. The QDUC achieves greater than 50 percent power reduction (~1.3 W at 1 GSPS) over existing QDUCs and operates by receiving an interleaved I/Q data stream, interpolating it, and synthesizing the desired signal for transmission when clocked at the same rate. The 1 GSPS numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) and DAC allow the AD9957 to provide direct outputs up to 400 MHz, eliminating some up-conversion stages and enabling less stringent filter requirements.

The low-noise, on-chip reference clock multiplier allows for the use of low cost, low frequency sources for the system clock, while still delivering excellent dynamic performance. The AD9957 also supports test vectors, and amplitude ramping capability. The latest addition to ADI's family of DDS modulators, the AD9957 QDUC together with ADI's portfolio of TxDAC+[R] transmit digital-to-analog converters, offers wireless infrastructure systems engineers a wide range of solutions for transmit path designs. The user interface to the control functions of the AD9957 includes a serial port easily configured to work with ADI's Blackfin[R] processors. The AD9957, which is optimized for communications applications, is priced at $21 per unit in 1,000-piece quantities.

Availability

The AD9910 DDS and AD9957 QDUC are sampling now with full-production quantities available in February 2007, and are packaged in 100-lead thin quad flat packs (TQFP). For more information, please visit www.analog.com/pr/AD9910 and www.analog.com/pr/AD9957.

About Analog Devices

Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the most long-standing, high-growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers around the world, representing virtually all types of electronics equipment. Celebrating more than 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices, Inc. is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, and employs approximately 8,900 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.

TxDAC+[R] and Blackfin[R] are registered trademarks and ADIsimDDS[TM] is a trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. All other trademarks included herein are the property of their respective owners.