Selecting an Optimized ADC for a Wireless AFE

As more and more portable devices connect to the Internet, the need for power-efficient wireless transceivers is on the rise. Simultaneous proliferation of multiple wireless protocols necessitates flexible and configurable RF system design. As a consequence, RF system designers are today faced with the challenge of designing the most power-efficient, smallest yet configurable RF transceivers. Based on the frequency of operation, analog modules in an RF signal chain can be broadly classified as RF and baseband systems. This paper discusses the various trade-offs these modules offer and how best they can be optimized to achieve optimal performance in a cost-effective way.