New RF DAC Broadens Software-Defined Radio Horizon

High speed data converters have been used in communications applications for many years and can be found in much of the equipment that forms the basis of our connected world, from cellular telephone base stations to cable head-end equipment to radar and specialized communication systems. Recent technological advances have enabled clock rates on high speed data converters to move to higher and higher frequencies. In conjunction with the JESD204B high speed serial interface that enables practical management and transfer of output data, these higher clock rate data converters form a new class of converter called an RF (for radio frequency) data converter. They have the ability to directly synthesize or capture RF signals without a conventional upconversion or downconversion with an analog radio chain. This article will focus on a new RF digital-to-analog converter (RF DAC) family of products, the AD9162 and AD9164, and their ability to broaden the software-defined radio (SDR) definition. The AD9164 brings a new level of performance to the RF DAC class and enables conventional radio designs to be made more efficient than with previous generations of RF class or IF class DACs. The combination of world-best performance and a rich feature set make the AD9164 a natural choice for switching the context of the radio from one system to another, and moving one step closer to the reality of a truly softwaredefined radio.