Analog Devices delivers RF ICs with breakthrough integration for broadband communications equipment

NORWOOD, USA: Analog Devices Inc. has announced two new RF ICs for broadband communications systems that reduce component count by more than 75 percent, without compromising performance.

The ADRF6655 active mixer or ADRF6510 dual programmable filter and VGA (variable gain amplifier) integrate multiple functions and discrete devices into a single monolithic chip, reducing component count by a factor of four when compared to traditional discrete RF designs.

ADI is the only RF IC supplier to offer devices with this level of integration and with the capability to address multiple broadband communications markets, such as point-to-point microwave radios, wireless base stations, cable infrastructure, defense wideband and software-defined radios, cellular repeaters and relays, and communications test equipment.

“Designers of next-generation radio equipment constantly aim to reduce component count and system cost, without sacrificing performance. ADI’s new ADRF6655 integrated broadband mixer and ADRF6510 dual programmable filter and VGA establish new benchmarks in integration, based on our performance-leading and field-proven PLL/VCO, mixer and amplifier technologies,” said Peter Real, vice president, Linear and RF products, Analog Devices.

“Both devices solve complex integration challenges for broadband RF system designers who have previously been constrained by the use of multiple discrete circuits and who can now realize new levels of performance and cost efficiency with these highly integrated and highly flexible monolithic RFICs.

ADRF6655 Active Mixer
Operating within the 100 to 2500 MHz frequency range, the ADRF6655 device is a highly-flexible, single-chip, broadband, active mixer with a fully integrated fractional-N phase locked loop (PLL) synthesizer, voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and associated low dropout (LDO) regulator circuits.

The ADRF6655 active mixer is a highly flexible device that provides exceptional performance for both up- and down-conversion applications. The PLL and VCO provide a fully integrated LO (local oscillator) circuit that can also be brought off-chip for external use.

The ADRF6655 active mixer operates on a single +5 V supply and features input linearity IP3 (+29 dBm); input compression P1dB (+14 dBm); conversion gain (6 dB), noise figure (12 dB) as well as LO phase noise of -111 dBc at 100 kHz offset.

ADRF6510 Dual Programmable Filter and VGA
The ADRF6510 is dual channel fully-differential baseband signal processing solution that integrates a matched pair of fully differential low-noise and low-distortion programmable filters and variable gain amplifiers onto a single chip.

The ADRF6510 is the first monolithic IC that replaces complex, bulky discrete fixed function filters, saving considerable board area. The matched filter networks provide exceptional flexibility as the corner frequency is fully adjustable in 1 MHz steps, thereby enabling wideband and narrow band support within a single radio design, a key benefit since the available spectrum and bandwidth varies across markets and regions worldwide.

The ADRF6510 VGA provides an adaptable multi-stage adjustable gain control range of 50 dB, a pre-amp prior to the filters provide a 6 dB step; while the variable gain amplifiers that follow the filter networks provide gain range of -5 dB to +45 dB. This allows the user to select and optimize the gain range for high dynamic range radios and eases the drive requirements into the analog to digital converter.

The ADRF6510 is a unique industry first single chip solution that provides low distortion >60dBc IMD3 ideally suited for high order QAM modulation, quadrature (I-Q) communications systems supporting high bandwidth signals up to 56 MHz.

The ADRF6655 is available now in a 6 mm x 6 mm 40-pin LFCSP package and is priced at $9.98 per unit in 1,000-unit quantities. The ADRF6655 is complemented by ADI’s RF/IF amplifiers such as the ADL5601, ADL5602 and ADL5320.

The ADRF6510 is available now in a 5x5mm 32-pin LFCSP package and is priced at $8.99 per unit in 1,000-unit quantities. The ADRF6510 is well-suited for use with ADI’s ADL5380, ADL5382 and ADL5387 wideband demodulators.