ADI introduces industry's fastest 18-bit SAR A/D converter

Analog Devices Inc. introduced an 18-bit PulSAR® A/D converter with 5-MSPS throughput that is twice the speed of any available SAR (successive-approximation register) converter. With its industry leading throughput, best-in-class noise floor and high linearity, the AD7960 PulSAR A/D converter was designed for low-power signal chains, multiplexed systems such as digital X-ray, and oversampling applications including spectroscopy, MRI gradient control and gas chromatography.

Unlike other 18-bit A/D converters, which sacrifice power and accuracy to achieve higher sample rates, the AD7960 consumes 39 mW at 5 MSPS and is optimized for excellent DC linearity (+/- 0.8 LSB INL) and AC performance (99dB SNR) even at full throughput. The new converter also features a best-in-class noise floor (22.4 nV/√Hz) relative to its full scale input, which combined with a small package size helps designers meet space, thermal, power and other key design challenges common to high-channel-density systems.

Analog Devices also introduced the AD7961 16-bit PulSAR A/D converter, which achieves excellent SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) performance (95.5 dB) and INL (+/- 0.2 LSB INL) at 5-MSPS.

• Download data sheet, watch the video, order samples and evaluation boards:
  http://www.analog.com/AD7960
  http://www.analog.com/AD7961
• Circuits from the Lab Reference Design:CN0277 High-Precision, 18-bit, 5-MSPS, Low-Power Signal Chain for Data Acquisition:
  http://www.analog.com/en/circuits-from-the-lab/CN0277/vc.html

• Connect with engineers and ADI product experts on EngineerZone™, an online technical support community: http://ez.analog.com/community/data_converters

AD7960 and AD7691 PulSAR A/D Converters Target Data Acquisition Systems

The AD7961 and AD7960 PulSAR A/D converters provide a pin-compatible upgrade/downgrade path for 16- and 18 –bit data acquisition applications in instrumentation and healthcare. They include a flexible, low-noise LVDS (low-voltage differential signaling) interface which transfers data off chip at speeds up to 300 MHz.

Related evaluation tools such as reference circuits, development kits and FPGA mezzanine cards include all HDL code and device drivers for easy integration with FPGAs and support faster development in a simplified design environment.

Pricing and Availability

The AD7960 can be used with the ADA4897 low-power, rail-to-rail output amplifier, the AD8031 rail-to-rail I/O amplifier and the ADR4540 or the ADR4550 voltage references to provide a complete low-power, high-precision signal chain.