The AD9467 ADC sets a new standard for converter performance, enabling design innovation necessary for building wireless infrastructure such as radar systems, spectrum analyzers, and multi-carrier, multi-mode receivers.

Analog Devices ( www.analog.com ), a global specialist in signal processing data converters and high-performance semiconductors and a leader in the global data converter market, announced today a 16-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) boasting the industry's fastest speed of 250 MSPS (Mega Samples Per Second).

ADI's new AD9467 16-bit, 250 MSPS ADC features a 25% higher sampling rate and 38% lower power consumption compared to existing 16-bit data converter products, providing a new level of signal processing performance for test and measurement instruments, military electronics, and communications applications that require high resolution performance across a wide bandwidth.

The AD9467 achieves excellent resolution and fast sampling rates while providing a Spurious-free Dynamic Range (SFDR) of up to 100 dBFS and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 76.4 dBFS. Furthermore, by maintaining an SFDR of 90 dBFS at a 300 MHz input signal and providing excellent jitter characteristics of 60 fs rms (root mean square), it enables superior system performance even at high intermediate frequencies. This makes it possible to reduce the number of signal down-conversion stages, which helps reduce the Bill of Materials (BoM) of the signal chain components. You can download the data sheet for AD9467 or order a sample at the provided link.

Brian Kimball, Senior Hardware Engineer at Mercury Computer Systems, stated, “There has been a desperate need for a 90 dB SFDR, 16-bit, 250 MSPS data converter for our customers’ state-of-the-art data acquisition systems,” adding, “ADI’s AD9467 data converter perfectly met our requirements, enabling the development of new products for our customers.”

The AD9467, a part of Analog Devices' entire signal chain, can be used with the AD9523/24 low-jitter clock generator and the ADL5562 3.3 GHz ultra-low distortion RF/IF differential amplifier to form a data conversion signal chain solution.

Phil Hester, Senior Vice President of R&D at National Instruments, stated, “ADI’s AD9467 converter features an industry-leading combination of sampling rate and resolution, and we are developing modules for the NI FlexRIO family based on the AD9467. The NI FlexRIO family will integrate LabVIEW-programmable FPGAs along with the innovative performance of the AD9467, and the AD9467 will be essential to lead in test and instrumentation, software-based wireless communications, medical imaging, and scientific research applications.”

Key Specifications and Benefits of the AD9467 16-bit 250 MSPS ADC
• Implementation of an advanced signal acquisition subsystem for general wireless platforms, radar systems, and spectrum analyzers based on 16-bit resolution and a high signal bandwidth of up to 300 MHz.
• Product optimized to provide industry-leading Effective Number of Bits (ENOB) and ease of use through on-chip IF (Intermediate Frequency) sampling circuitry and buffered analog inputs
• Based on high dynamic range across a wide signal bandwidth, software-based wireless communication can be used with various standards such as LTE/W-CDMA, MC-GSM (Class 1), and CDMA.
• Implementation of a highly sensitive radar system design that captures and tracks small targets with outstanding accuracy by complementing SNR and SFDR through a programmable full-scale input range (see chart below)

Input Range SNR SFDR Analog Input Sampling Rate
2.5 Vp-p 75.1 dBFS 90 dBFS 300 MHz 250 MSPS
2.0 Vp-p 74 dBFS 95 dBFS 17