ADI Launches AD9081/2 MxFE Platform
| 3x more call processing capacity than 4G LTE base stations
| Meeting mmWave wireless density and data rate requirements

Analog Devices (ADI) today launched a mixed signal front end (MxFE) RF data converter platform that integrates high-performance analog and digital signal processing functions for various wireless equipment such as 4G LTE and 5G mmWave.

ADI's AD9081/2 MxFE platform enables wireless equipment manufacturers to integrate multiband RF into the same footprint as single-band RF, achieving up to three times the call processing capacity of existing 4G LTE base stations.

The new MxFE platform, which supports 1.2 GHz channel bandwidth, enables wireless operators who are adding more antennas to their towers to meet the high radio density and data rate requirements of 5G mmWave.

By moving many frequency conversion and filtering tasks from the analog domain to the digital domain, the AD9081/2 provide software configurability that allows design engineers to optimize their radio technology.

New multi-channelThe Null MxFE platform meets the requirements of broadband applications such as 5G test and measurement equipment, broadband wired video streaming, multi-antenna phased array radar systems, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks.

“Cell towers are nearing saturation in the number of antennas they must support, and our customers want lighter weight, multiband RF that fits into today’s radio form factors,” said Kimo Tam, general manager of ADI’s High-Speed Mixed-Signal Group. “They also demand software-defined RF platforms that provide the configurability and scalability to enable a single platform to be used across multiple geographies and use cases.”

The AD9081/2 MxFE devices integrate eight and six RF data converters, respectively, manufactured using 28nm CMOS process technology. Both MxFE devices achieve an instantaneous bandwidth of up to 2.4 GHz, simplifying hardware design by reducing the number of frequency conversion stages and easing filter requirements.

Its high level of integration reduces the number of chips required compared to alternative devices and saves 60% of PCB area, relieving wireless device design engineers of PCB space constraints.

The new MxFE platform handles more RF spectrum bands and embeds DSP capabilities on-chip, enabling users to configure programmable filters and digital up/down conversion blocks to meet specific RF signal bandwidth requirements.

On an FPGA, this not only reduces power consumption by a factor of 10 compared to architectures that perform RF conversion and filtering tasks, but also allows design engineers to free up valuable processor resources for other valuable tasks or use less expensive FPGAs.

Samples of the AD9081 will begin in September, with mass production starting in March of next year. Samples of the AD9082 will be available at the same time as the AD9081, with mass production starting in December.