Fujitsu Semiconductor unveils world's fastest cmos 14bit d/a converter

The MB86066 'Anakin' d/a converter combines 14bit resolution with a conversion rate of up to 12GS/s and has been designed for applications such as broadband communications systems, multiband radio communications systems and test and measurement equipment. According to Fujitsu, the device's conversion rate to 12GS/s makes Direct-RF a reality and could enable true single platform designs capable of multiband as well as multimode air interface agnostic signal synthesis. The company says its 'unrivaled' wideband performance (encompassing 50-1000MHz) meets the needs of all downstream cable modem infrastructure applications. For communications systems infrastructure, Fujitsu believes this development represents the next step in radio integration, pushing the digital interface closer to the antenna. At the same time it potentially enables simultaneous band and carrier combinations in order to lower system power and cost per megabyte transmitted - essential for addressing the growing demand for mobile data. The device integrates two cascaded x2 interpolation filters, reducing the input data required to 3GS/s for full rate operation. Input data is shared across two parallel LVDS buses, each operating at up to 1.5GS/s, 750MHz DDR. Two further LVDS buses are available to support very wide band applications, requiring 6GS/s input data. Both interpolation filters can be configured for either low, high or all pass operation, providing multiple operating and power reduced modes. 15bit interfaces are implemented to support continuous, per sample parity checking with automatic error counting. It is housed in an 324 ball plastic flip chip BGA package, measuring 15 x 15mm. Power consumption is 2.2W when operating at 12GS/s, with both filters enabled, reducing to as low as 950mW at 5.3GS/s for cable modem applications. For customer specific applications, the d/a converter core IP, codenamed 'Jacen', can be licensed for asic solutions, implemented using CS200L, Fujitsu's 65nm cmos technology. This enables the integration of customers' own digital pre processing, as well as the adoption of any specific data interface requirements.