Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) announced a wideband synthesizer with an integrated voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that delivers breakthrough performance and flexibility and is ideal for diverse market applications such as aerospace and defense, wireless infrastructure, microwave point-to-point links, electronic test and measurement and satellite terminals. ADI’s new ADF5610 wideband fractional-N synthesizer generates RF outputs from 55 MHz to 15 GHz and provides the industry’s lowest phase noise performance on a single chip. When compared to alternative solutions that require multiple narrowband GaAs voltage controlled oscillators and phase-locked loops (PLL), the ADF5610 offers 50 percent less power dissipation, smaller footprint and simpler architecture which translates into bill of materials cost savings and reduced time to market.

Developed on ADI's proprietary advanced SiGe BiCMOS process, the ADF5610 enables high modulation bandwidths and low BIT error rates. It features industry leading VCO phase noise (-114 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset and -165 dBc/Hz at 100 MHz offset both at 10 GHz) and low normalized phase noise floor (FOM) of -229 dBc/Hz. The integrated PLL function provides fast frequency hopping and lock times (< 50 μs with appropriate loop filter). The phase detector spurious levels are below -45 dBc typical, and the RF output power level is 6 dBm.

The ADF5610 wideband fractional-N synthesizer is easy to design-in, and fully supported by the ADIsimPLL™, Analog Devices' comprehensive and easy-to-use PLL synthesizer design and simulation tool for assessing phase noise, lock time, jitter and other design considerations. The device is also customer programmable through the use of integrated SPI interface and control software.

The ADF5610 is specified over the -40°C to +85°C range. It operates from nominal 3.3 V analog and digital power supplies as well as 5 V charge-pump and VCO supplies and feature 1.8 V logic-level compatibility. The synthesizer also contains hardware and software power down modes.