Integrated Modulator Reduces Component Count With Industry-Leading RF Performance For Broadband Satellite Applications

Previous broadband satellite communication designs required a variety of RF ICs to form an IF (intermediate frequency) signal path. This multi-chip approach took up considerable board space, added system complexity and increased bill-of-materials costs. ADI’s ADRF6750 modulator saves space, reduces cost, and lowers complexity by integrating an analog I/Q quadrature modulator, fractional-N PLL (phase locked loop) synthesizer, VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) and digitally controlled RF attenuator, all within an 8 mm × 8 mm LFCSP package. It also supports a user-selectable SPI/I2C serial interface that simplifies design and allows maximum flexibility.

Operating within the 950 MHz to 1575 MHz frequency range and on a single 5-volt power supply, the ADRF6750 modulator enables 10 Hz frequency increments, and the integrated output attenuator provides 47 dB output gain control with 1 dB step resolution. The device also features monitoring-output and output-disable-control capabilities. Furthermore, the ADRF6750 modulator offers best-in-class RF performance, including an output compression (P1dB) of 8.5 dBm, output third order intercept (IP3) of 21 dBm and noise floor of –148 dBc/Hz.