Teledyne e2v announces new ADC concept that enables direct sampling in the P to Ka band

     Teledyne e2v's continuous innovation and commitment to high-resolution mixed-signal solutions further demonstrates its commitment to revolutionizing RF systems. The company has successfully demonstrated next-generation data converter technology that its engineering team is currently testing.

     The 12-bit EV12PS640 complements Teledyne e2v's recently released microwave digital-to-analog converter (DAC) device, the EV12DD700, and represents a new milestone in the development of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). This pioneering analog-to-digital converter proof-of-concept delivers performance parameters beyond any product range currently on the market, supports 11G sampling rates, enables ultra-high frequency (SHF) direct sampling, and extends all the way to the Ka band (26GHz and beyond). The EV12PS640 will provide a very wide dynamic range.

     The company has prepared video demonstrations of the EV12PS640 microwave A/D converter and EV12DD700 digital A/D converter, which can be viewed here: EV12PS640 microwave A/D Converter Demonstration and EV12DD700 digital A/D Converter Demonstration.

     Direct microwave sampling has many benefits. First, it eliminates the need for frequency conversion, which means that the risk of signal distortion will be greatly reduced. Second, it provides software-defined versatility across multiple frequency bands, up to the Ka band. This means that the system is easier to optimize for different application scenarios, but also provides a dynamic configuration platform for the system. The direct microwave sampling method can significantly simplify the data conversion hardware. For the first time, the Teledyne e2v introduced 50 ohm single-ended inputs (for clock and analog inputs), thereby reducing the need for Barron, reducing the bill of materials and associated real estate, so that it is easier to interface with RF systems, which typically operate at 50 ohm characteristic impedance.

     Based on this, direct microwave sampling has gradually proved to be of great advantage in limited power budgets or space-constrained systems, or in some places with some degree of configuration requirements. Now, by sampling directly to Ka-band frequencies, the Teledyne e2v must be able to handle a wide range of high-end RF applications. As a result, the EV12PS640 will be critical for future RF architectures in avionics, military, aerospace, and test and measurement.