Compact 250/500 Msps Serial Output ADC Simplifying Board Layout

February 9, 2012 – Intersil, a global leader in the design and production of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today released the industry's fastest low-power single/dual-channel 14-bit ADC with JESD204B serial output. The product supports a single-channel sampling rate of up to 500 Msps and a dual-channel sampling rate of up to 250 Msps.

The ISLA224S/ISLA214S50 series is the first ADC to be manufactured with JESD204B serial output. The JESD204B compatible transmitter transmits 4.375 Gbps of data per lane and can support a dual-channel 14-bit 250 Msps converter (one lane per channel) or a single-channel 14-bit 500 Msps device with just two lanes.

A third lane is optional and is included in the transmitter to support the maximum sampling rate while the serial lane operates at 3.125 Gbps or less. It also provides backward compatibility with the JESD204A standard to support low-cost FPGAs. The JESD204B transmitter provides deterministic latency between the ADC sample clock and the continuous data stream, which meets the synchronization requirements of multi-channel and I/Q communication systems.

The ISLA224S25 consumes only 980mW of power at 250Msps, which is an efficient power consumption compared to competing products with lower sample rates that consume 1000mW or more. In the case of ISLA214S50, the power consumption is 1050mW, which is more efficient compared to other competing products with a power consumption of 2500mW.

The product features a small footprint of 7mm x 7mm and is designed using Intersil's proprietary FemtoCharge™ technology over a standard CMOS process. It also incorporates Intersil's flagship ISLA224Pxx series core, which boasts the best signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in its class.

The ISLA224S and ISLA214S50 are optimized for high-performance data acquisition and broadband communication systems. In addition, they are ideal for medical imaging systems, microwave receivers, and other high-speed applications, including radar or satellite antenna array processing. Furthermore, the integrated 8b/10b serial converter eliminates the need for separate external devices, simplifying the design of serial data communication systems.

Provides a complete evaluation kit
Intersil provides an evaluation kit for use with the new ADC. This includes a modular hardware design featuring Intersil's proprietary main board, interchangeable daughter boards, and Java-based software. The FPGA on the main board can be used as a reference design for the SERDES receiver, and the daughter board is compatible with the VITA 57 FMC (FPGA Mezzanine Card) standard, so it can also be connected to an FMC host card such as Xilinx's ML-605.

Product Features and Advantages
 JESD204B High-Speed Serial Output with Reduced Price, Size, and Complexity
 Deterministic Latency that eliminates synchronization problems
 Multi-ADC support to simplify multi-channel design
 ISLA224S25 with a 105 MHz input frequency providing 72.9 dBFS SNR at a 250 MHz sample rate
 ISLA214S50 providing 72.9dBFS SNR at 500Msps (3dB higher than competing products)
 Low clock jitter that improves signal-to-noise ratio at high input frequencies
 A low-power system that simplifies thermal and power supply design and does not require expensive heat sinks
 Various channels can be used with low power consumption, even on a limited power budget.