Choosing the right A/D converter architecture and IP to meet the latest high speed wireless standards

Priyank Shukla and Madhusudan Govindarajan (Cadence)
NewElectronics (October 14, 2014)

Internet enabled mobile devices are continuing to become more prevalent in the modern world. With this proliferation of smart, connected devices – many of which are battery powered – comes a greater need for power efficient wireless transceivers. In addition to meeting stringent power specifications, RF system designers must also ensure that their devices adhere to the latest wireless standards, including Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Wi-Fi.

In an RF system, the RF block interfaces with the antenna, and down-converts the RF signal to a baseband analogue signal. This article focuses on the analogue front end (AFE) block.

The AFE block is the critical bridge connecting RF sensor signal output to a digital application processor. However, ensuring the AFE block delivers the performance and low power required by the end application can be a formidable task.

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