Inphi(R) Corporation Launches World's Fastest Family Of Commercial Track-and-Hold Devices For Ultra-Wideband Applications; New GigaTrack(TM) Family Sets High Frequency Standard with 18 GHz Bandwidth 2 GS/s Track-and-Hold.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- Inphi(R) Corporation set a new industry standard today with the launch of its GigaTrack(TM) family of 2 GS/s track-and-hold amplifiers (THA) that deliver ultra-wide 18 GHz analog bandwidth. The combined bandwidth, sample rate and linearity of these track-and-holds make possible direct conversion and software-defined receivers, and will also advance the state of the art in high sample rate test and measurement equipment. The GigaTrack track-and-holds operate from a single, -5.2 V power supply and dissipate only 1.3 W. They are available in a 49-pin ceramic ball-grid array and in 24 pin QFN packages.

"Inphi has built its reputation on creating and delivering best-in-class devices and we're doing it again with the introduction of the GigaTrack family of devices," said Kevin Nary, Vice President of Engineering at Inphi. "GigaTrack track-and-holds will enable an entirely new class of instrumentation, communications, ATE, and military systems. In addition to providing the highest performance available, the low power dissipation and size of these devices will result in digital receivers and data acquisition systems that are themselves low power and compact."

These unparalleled parts are specifically designed to meet the needs of engineers designing next generation instrumentation, ATE, and military equipment. Fast sampling oscilloscopes, direct conversion receivers in radios, radar or electronic warfare systems, all demand wider-bandwidth and higher sample rate analog-to-digital conversion. With the GigaTrack THAs, engineers can for the first time replace numerous components in traditional heterodyne receiver architectures with a track-and-hold and a high sample rate ADC. The resulting receivers are lower power and more compact than traditional heterodyne receivers, and they provide far more flexibility. Signal processing (i.e.; down-conversion or channelizing) that was "hard-wired" in heterodyne receivers, can now be performed digitally and can be "software defined." A direct conversion receiver can serve multiple applications with system differentiation occurring in software or firmware.

GigaTrack Family

The new GigaTrack family consists of four track-and-hold amplifiers with 2 GS/s sample rates. The ball-grid-array versions offer 18 GHz (small signal) and 15 GHz (0.5Vpp) input analog bandwidths with very fast settling times (greater than 60 ps) and low power consumption (1.3W). Plastic QFN versions provide 13 GHz analog bandwidth (100 mVpp).

Sample    Clock Mode
   Part Number    Analog BW     Rate       Select       Package
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  1820TH-S01BGA     18 GHz     2 GS/s        No         6 mm BGA
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  1821TH-S01BGA     18 GHz     2 GS/s       Yes         6 mm BGA
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  1320TH-S01QFN     13 GHz     2 GS/s        No         4 mm QFN
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  1321TH-S01QFN     13 GHz     2 GS/s       Yes         4 mm QFN
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In order to deliver a wider hold time window for the downstream ADC, a master/slave (dual) track-and-hold architecture was developed. This provides higher accuracy in the digitization process by increasing the hold time window to almost one full cycle of the THA. For users who want to sub-sample the output of the master track-and-hold with the slave track-and-hold, the 1821TH and lower performance 1321TH devices provide a flexible clock mode select pin which, in one mode, allows the user to provide different clocks to the master and slave track and holds.

The GigaTrack family's best-in-class settling time (less than 60 ps) maximizes timing margin to improve accuracy and performance, while the best-in-class total harmonic distortion (-70 dB typical at 1 GHz and 500 mVpp input) and aperture jitter (less than 50 fs) support improved ADC signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratios leading to more sensitive and accurate acquisition systems. Also, by eliminating the requirement for two separate power supply voltages, these track-and-hold THA devices simplify board layout, lowers system cost, and helps reduce power consumption by up to 20 percent.

The GigaTrack family supports all popular, broadband analog-to-digital ADC devices including National Semiconductor ADC08100/81500, Atmel AT84AS003/008, ADI 9480, Maxim/Dallas MAX104/108, and others. Visit the Inphi GigaTrack website at http://www.inphi-corp.com/products/1821th.shtml.

Pricing and Availability

The 1820TH and 1821TH are both supported in a 49-pin 6mm BGA package with evaluation kits now available for performance testing. The 1821TH is also offered in die form. The 1820TH and 1821TH with clock mode select are priced at $489 and $549, respectively in 1,000 quantities. The lower bandwidth 1320TH and 1321TH are supported in a 24-pin 4mm QFN package priced at $329 and $379, respectively in 1,000 quantities. Radiation hardened versions of the GigaTrack products will be available later this year.

About Inphi Corporation

Founded in November 2000, Inphi Corporation is a privately held electronic components company based in Westlake Village, California. Inphi delivers high-speed precision integrated circuits that optimize power, performance, and size, enabling customers to build the highest performance, most cost-competitive telecommunications, data communications, and instrumentation systems.

Capitalizing on its heritage and leadership in delivering proprietary solutions for the most demanding timing applications such as Instrumentation and Telecom, Inphi debuted its ExacTik(TM) family of CMOS precision timing devices for computing applications in 2004. These devices, ideal for memory clocking, and other server, workstation and notebook applications, deliver the highest performance in terms jitter, slew rates, clock times and skew. Additional information about the company can be found at www.inphi-corp.com.

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