Enabling the infrastructure of 5G at European Microwave Week

ADI’s stand (#135) at EuMW2018 will host the first public demonstration of several significant products released to the market in recent weeks, advancing in areas such as 5G communications, phased-array RADAR and software-configurable radio.

5G transceivers handle legacy radio standards
With its RadioVerse wideband transceivers, Analog Devices transformed the design process for the RF path in a multitude of radio products. The ADI stand at EuMW will feature the latest generation of RadioVerse chip which increases bandwidth, adds further integration and cuts power demand.

The IC anticipates the upcoming need for large numbers of 5G base stations to be deployed economically; with twice the bandwidth - 200MHz - of its predecessor and tunability over 75MHz to 6GHz, it will support not only 5G RF standards, but also 2G, 3G and 4G.

Replacing up to 20 components and more-than-halving power demand, a demonstration of this IC will show configurable RF capability that extends beyond 5G, to a broad range of infrastructure, aerospace and defence systems.

12-bit, 10-GSPS ADCs further boost bandwidths
In analogue-to-digital conversion, ADI has brought to market many successive generations of high speed products, each time advancing performance across their specifications.

To be demonstrated at EuMW, ADI’s latest 12-bit, 10.25-GSPS ADC targets next-gen communications, defence and test and measurement applications. Extended parametric performance offers greater Nyquist bandwidth supporting digitisation of RF signals up to 7GHz. The demonstration will highlight the device’s faster sampling (factor of 2.5x), improved range and noise performance over similar devices.

Cutting size, weight, power in phased-array RADAR
As RADAR deployments become more diverse, applications encounter limits of SWaP - size, weight and power. Phased-array RADARs are attractive for their flat-panel, no-moving-parts attributes, but demand efficient transmit/receive performance over many channels.

Highlighting a newly-released device, a demonstration on the ADI stand at EuMW18 will show how integration can resolve this dilemma; analogue beamforming will be shown in a system that will track visitors as they approach the exhibit.

Simplifying the designers’ task, this 4-channel chip replaces multiple conventional components to build TDD RADARs operating in X and Ku bands, integrating T/R switching and providing complete support for phase-control on a per-channel basis.

High integration in a PLL chip
The PLL (phase-locked-loop) and VCO (voltage-controlled oscillator) functions are fundamental to RF designs, more so in an increasingly digital signal-handling context. Also seen for the first time on the ADI stand at EuMW18, will be a synthesiser IC comprising a PLL with fully integrated VCO, as well as on-chip Low-Dropout Regulators (LDOs) to provide the necessary highly stable supply rails; plus integrated tracking filter technology.

The demonstration will show how the lowest levels of RMS jitter can be achieved at high output frequencies, in applications that will span aerospace and defence, test and measurement, and communications infrastructure.

Analog Devices’ applications engineers will be on hand at stand #135 to answer visitors’ questions on any aspect of RF signal chain design, building on ADI’s decades of experience at both component and system level.