Analog Devices Introduces Complete Analog Front End for Advanced Ultrasound Equipment.

NORWOOD, Mass. -- --ADI pairs quad amplifiers and data converters to increase channel density and improve image quality, while reducing package size, power and cost.

Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal-processing applications and the market leader in data conversion technology and amplifier ICs, is introducing a quad variable gain amplifier (VGA) and two quad analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that dramatically improve image quality in advanced medical ultrasound equipment. Leveraging Analog Devices' system-level signal chain and medical applications expertise, the new components, while available separately, together provide a complete, optimized analog front end (AFE) that not only increases dynamic range and image resolution in ultrasound equipment, but reduces package size, per-channel power consumption and bill of materials costs. The quad VGA and 10- and 12-bit quad ADCs also feature serial, low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) data outputs that simplify board layout and further enhance image quality by enabling more data conversion paths to be routed within a given printed circuit board area.

Advanced ultrasound equipment must process signals with very high dynamic range to account for the variability in tissue and bone density, fluid viscosity, and the rate of fluid movement in the body. Furthermore, medical equipment designers need ever-higher channel densities, which require hundreds of data converters and amplifiers per system to enable the ultrasound AFE to render an accurate, high-quality image.

"Medical equipment designers in the ultrasound field are addressing two major challenges: the need to drive data converters with higher resolution and the need to increase the channel density of their systems while shrinking power and package size," said Bill Riedel, product line manager, Precision Signal Processing group, Analog Devices. "By combining our data conversion and amplifier expertise, ADI's new VGA and ADCs create an AFE that results in ultrasound systems with enhanced image quality and accuracy."

About the AD8334 Quad Variable Gain Amplifier

The AD8334 quad VGA sets a new standard of performance for high-end ultrasound equipment designers by achieving a 101-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 5 MHz, which is twice the SNR of the nearest competing VGA. In addition to superior image quality, the AD8334 uses 20 percent less area per channel, reduces per-channel power consumption by 20 percent and cuts per-channel costs by 10 percent that of other devices. The AD8334 also features an input-noise voltage level of only 0.74 nV/rtHz, while overload protection shields the device from ultrasound near-field signals and a selectable output clamping feature allows the VGA to protect the ADCs from signal saturation.

About the AD9228 and AD9219 Quad ADCs

The 12-bit AD9228 and 10-bit AD9219 quad ADCs provide an ideal match for Analog Devices' new AD8334 VGA. The AD9219 and the AD9228 are available in both 40- and 65-MSPS (million samples per second) speed grades and achieve a 70-dB SNR and 82-dB SFDR (spurious free dynamic range). The new quad ADCs consume half the board space and achieve a more than 20 percent reduction in per-channel power consumption relative to other ADCs. The devices also feature a programmable clock and data alignment and allow for digital test pattern generation using a serial port interface (SPI) that improves the ability of designers to control and synchronize output data.

Pricing and Availability

The AD8334 quad VGA is sampling and available in a 64-lead LFCSP (lead-frame chip-scale package). The AD8334 is priced at $14.49 per unit, in 1,000-piece quantities. The AD9219 and AD9228 quad ADCs are sampling and available in a 48-lead LFCSP. The AD9219 is priced at $15.98 for the 40-MSPS speed grade and at $19.98 for the 65-MSPS version in 1,000-piece quantities. The AD9228 is priced at $23.50 for the 40-MSPS speed grade and at $32.50 for the 65-MSPS version in 1,000-piece quantities.

About Analog Devices

Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest 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, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "ADI" and is included in the S&P 500 Index.