News

30 September 2010

 

Analog Devices introduces new series of VGAs

Analog Devices Inc (ADI) of Norwood, MA, USA has introduced a series of highly integrated RF/IF variable gain amplifiers (VGAs), the ADL5201, ADL5202, ADL5240 and ADL5243.

According to the firm, the new VGAs are well-suited for demanding applications, such as cellular base stations, industrial/instrumentation and defense equipment, and offer breakthrough levels of integration—combining up to four discrete RF/IF blocks into a single device.

“These new RF / IF variable gain amplifiers further expand ADI’s commitment to offering best-in-class levels of integration and performance for both RF and IF applications,” said Peter Real, vice president, Linear and RF products, Analog Devices. “Both product families provide the user with flexibility to select their preferred parallel or serial formats, and offer fine 0.5dB digital gain steps. This approach simplifies and eases system design, decreases footprint and enables designers of equipment such as next generation base stations to reduce component count, board area, supply lines and cost.”

ADL5201 and its dual version, the ADL5202, are digitally controlled, IF VGAs designed to support high IF sampling receiver designs that require precise gain control, high IP3 and a low noise figure for new broadband radio designs. The new VGAs combine highest dynamic range with lowest distortion and noise figures for IF frequencies up to 400 MHz. ADL5201 and ADL5202 are ideally suited for driving high-speed, next generation ADCs such as ADI’s AD9268. The new VGAs incorporate proprietary distortion cancellation techniques that enable them to achieve the industry’s highest linearity at more than 47 dBm output IP3 and noise figure of 6 dB. Developed on an advanced SiGe BiCMOS process, ADL5201 and ADL5202 provide gain control range of 31.5 dB with 0.5 dB resolution and are capable of supporting serial and parallel interface modes.

Operating in the 100 MHz to 4000 MHz frequency range, ADL5240 and ADL5243 RF/IF digitally controlled VGAs offer unsurpassed gain control performance and accuracy, says the firm. Designed with GaAs technology, the ADL5240 VGA combines a DSA (digital step attenuator) and a gain block into a single IC, while the ADL5243 combines a DSA, a gain block, and a broadband W driver amplifier in a single IC, without any sacrifice in performance. Either the amplifier or the DSA can be first in the signal chain, maximizing system flexibility by allowing the VGA to be used in multiple places throughout a design. The DSA in each VGA offers a wide gain control range of 31.5 dB in 0.5 dB steps, and accommodates serial and parallel interface modes, while the gain block in each VGA offers a very high linearity of greater than 40 dBm and noise figure of 2.9 at 900 MHz. The ADL5243’s W driver offers linearity performance of 42.0 dBm with a 25.7 dBm P1dB at 2.14 GHz.

The new VGAs are suited for use with ADI’s leading mixers, modulators, and ADCs including the firm’s ADL537x and ADRF670x modulators; ADL535x, ADL580x and ADRF660x mixers; as well as the AD9268 and AD9265 families of analog-to-digital converters.

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Visit: www.analog.com/rf

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