ADC Dissipates One-third the Power of Existing Solutions without Sacrificing AC Performance

(Product News, 31 Oct 2008)

Linear Technology Corp. introduces a low-power 14-bit, 125Msps ADC that dissipates only 127mW, less than one-third the power of prior solutions. High-speed ADCs are traditionally power-hungry devices: the higher the sample rate, the more power the ADC dissipates. Heat dissipation becomes even more of a concern with systems using multiple ADCs to measure many input channels, or when packaged in small, portable enclosures where higher temperatures can degrade the ADC's performance. Whether operating at full speed or in sleep mode for reduced power dissipation down to 0.5mW, the LTC2261 significantly lowers the power budget for high-speed data acquisition, making it possible to "cut the cord" and migrate products into the portable world.

Operating from a low 1.8V analog supply, the LTC2261 achieves significant power savings without sacrificing AC performance. This ADC offers signal to noise ratio (SNR) performance of 73.4dB and spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of 85dB at baseband. Ultralow jitter of 0.17ps(RMS) allows undersampling of IF frequencies with excellent noise performance. The combination of low power and good AC performance provide a much needed power savings to battery powered portable instrumentation and multichannel systems such as medical ultrasound and non-destructive test equipment. JTRS software defined radios and other portable communication equipment will also benefit from the low power portability of this breakthrough ADC family.

Click here for more information on Linear Technology's LTC2261 Ultra-Low Power ADCs