AUGUST 29, 2006 - Wavecrest (search Wavecrest) has selected Inphi Corp.'s (search Inphi Corp.) GigaTrack family of high-frequency Track-and-Hold Amplifiers (THAs) as a fundamental building block for its portfolio of signal integrity analysis (SIA) solutions, beginning with its SIA-4000.
Wavecrest's test equipment is used to analyze serial data communication and clock signals for a variety of applications. The SIA-4000 tests serial data applications with speeds up to 12.5 Gbits/sec, including applications such as PCI Express Gen 2, FB DIMM, 8X Fibre Channel, and OC-192 SONET.
"This new architectural component delivers the high-bandwidth functionality we need to meet the stringent demands of our customers across a wide range of applications and markets and provides functionality that was not previously available," asserts Dennis Petrich, senior vice president of Wavecrest. "The performance, availability, and quality of these parts have also led us to incorporate them as key components in our future product development."
The high-bandwidth capability of Inphi's 1821TH-S01BGA THAs enables Wavecrest's SIA-4000 to perform high-bandwidth sampling of signals under test in high-data-rate applications as well as high frequency clock and PLL applications.
"Wavecrest's decision to integrate Inphi's GigaTrack THAs throughout their SIA product line underscores the industry's rapid acceptance of these devices as the new standard in speed and high-bandwidth performance among track-and-hold devices," contends Kevin Nary, vice president of engineering at Inphi Corp. "The tremendously positive response to these products from the engineering community clearly emphasizes that the GigaTrack family fills a crucial need for high bandwidth and higher sample rates."
The combined bandwidth, sample rate, and linearity of the GigaTrack THAs allow direct conversion and software-defined receivers and advance the state-of-the-art in high sample rate test and measurement equipment, claim Inphi representatives. The THAs are specifically designed to meet the needs of engineers designing next-generation instrumentation, ATE, and military equipment. Fast sampling oscilloscopes, direct conversion receivers in radios, radar, or electronic warfareIsystems demand wider-bandwidth and higher sample rate analog-to-digital conversion.
Using the GigaTrack THAs, engineers can replace numerous components in traditional heterodyne receiver architectures with a THA and a high sample rate ADC. The resulting receivers are lower power and more compact than traditional heterodyne receivers and provide far more flexibility, claims Inphi Corp. With these THAs, signal processing (i.e. down-conversion or channelizing) that was "hard-wired" in heterodyne receivers can be performed digitally and can be "software defined." A direct conversion receiver can serve multiple applications with system differentiation occurring in software or firmware.
TheInew GigaTrack family consists of four track-and-hold amplifiers with 2-GS/s sample rates. The 49-pin ball-grid-array versions offer 18-GHz (small signal) and 15-GHz (0.5Vpp) input analog bandwidths with fast settling times (greater than 60 ps) and low power consumption (1.3W).IPlastic QFN versions provide 13-GHz analog bandwidth (100 mVpp). The GigaTrack track-and-holds operate from a single, -5.2 V power supply and dissipate only 1.3 W.
The GigaTrack family supports all popular, broadband analog-to-digital ADC devices, including National Semiconductor ADC08100/81500,IAtmel AT84AS003/008, ADI 9480, Maxim/Dallas MAX104/108, and others.
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