AD9238
The minimum common-mode input level allows the AD9238 to
accommodate ground-referenced inputs. Although optimum
performance is achieved with a differential input, a single-
ended source may be driven into VIN+ or VIN−. In this
configuration, one input accepts the signal, while the opposite
input should be set to midscale by connecting it to an
appropriate reference. For example, a 2 V p-p signal may be
applied to VIN+, while a 1 V reference is applied to VIN−. The
AD9238 then accepts an input signal varying between 2 V and
0 V. In the single-ended configuration, distortion performance
may degrade significantly as compared to the differential case.
However, the effect is less noticeable at lower input frequencies and
in the lower speed grade models (AD9238-40 and AD9238-20).
CLOCK INPUT AND CONSIDERATIONS
Typical high speed ADCs use both clock edges to generate a
variety of internal timing signals and, as a result, may be
sensitive to the clock duty cycle. Commonly, a 5% tolerance is
required on the clock duty cycle to maintain dynamic
performance characteristics.
The AD9238 provides separate clock inputs for each channel.
The optimum performance is achieved with the clocks operated
at the same frequency and phase. Clocking the channels
asynchronously may degrade performance significantly. In
some applications, it is desirable to skew the clock timing of
adjacent channels. The AD9238’s separate clock inputs allow for
clock timing skew (typically 1 ns) between the channels
without significant performance degradation.
Differential Input Configurations
As previously detailed, optimum performance is achieved while
driving the AD9238 in a differential input configuration. For
baseband applications, the AD8138 differential driver provides
excellent performance and a flexible interface to the ADC. The
output common-mode voltage of the AD8138 is easily set to
AVDD/2, and the driver can be configured in a Sallen-Key filter
topology to provide band limiting of the input signal.
The AD9238 contains two clock duty cycle stabilizers, one for
each converter, that retime the nonsampling edge, providing an
internal clock with a nominal 50% duty cycle. When proper
track-and-hold times for the converter are required to maintain
high performance, maintaining a 50% duty cycle clock is
particularly important in high speed applications. It may be
difficult to maintain a tightly controlled duty cycle on the input
clock on the PCB (see Figure 23). DCS can be enabled by tying
the DCS pin high.
At input frequencies in the second Nyquist zone and above, the
performance of most amplifiers is not adequate to achieve the
true performance of the AD9238. This is especially true in IF
under-sampling applications where frequencies in the 70 MHz
to 200 MHz range are being sampled. For these applications,
differential transformer coupling is the recommended input
configuration, as shown in Figure 32.
The duty cycle stabilizer uses a delay-locked loop to create the
nonsampling edge. As a result, any changes to the sampling
frequency require approximately 2 µs to 3 µs to allow the DLL
to acquire and settle to the new rate.
High speed, high resolution ADCs are sensitive to the quality of
the clock input. The degradation in SNR at a given full-scale
input frequency (fINPUT) due only to aperture jitter (tJ) can be
calculated as
AVDD
50Ω
VINA
10pF
2V p-p
49.9Ω
AD9238
50Ω
VINB
AGND
⎡
⎢
⎣
⎤
⎥
⎦
1
10pF
1kΩ
SNR = 20 × log
(
2 × π × fINPUT × t j
)
⎢
⎥
1kΩ
0.1µF
In the equation, the rms aperture jitter, tJ, represents the root-
sum square of all jitter sources, which includes the clock input,
analog input signal, and ADC aperture jitter specification.
Undersampling applications are particularly sensitive to jitter.
Figure 32. Differential Transformer Coupling
The signal characteristics must be considered when selecting a
transformer. Most RF transformers saturate at frequencies
below a few MHz, and excessive signal power can also cause
core saturation, which leads to distortion.
For optimal performance, especially in cases where aperture
jitter may affect the dynamic range of the AD9238, it is
important to minimize input clock jitter. The clock input
circuitry should use stable references; for example, use analog
power and ground planes to generate the valid high and low
digital levels for the AD9238 clock input. Power supplies for
clock drivers should be separated from the ADC output driver
supplies to avoid modulating the clock signal with digital noise.
Low jitter, crystal-controlled oscillators make the best clock
sources. If the clock is generated from another type of source
Single-Ended Input Configuration
A single-ended input may provide adequate performance in
cost-sensitive applications. In this configuration, there is a
degradation in SFDR and distortion performance due to the
large input common-mode swing. However, if the source
impedances on each input are matched, there should be little
effect on SNR performance.
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