
AD9271
Rev. B | Page 25 of
60
LNA INPUT-REFERRED
NOISE FLOOR
(5.4V rms) @ AAF BW = 15MHz
LNA + VGA NOISE = 1.4nV/ Hz
Crosspoint Switch
Each LNA is followed by a transconductance amp for V/I con-
version. Currents can be routed to one of six pairs of differential
outputs or to 12 single-ended outputs for summing. Each CWD
output pin sinks 2.4 mA dc current, and the signal has a full-scale
current of ±2 mA for each channel selected by the crosspoint
switch. For example, if four channels were to be summed on
one CWD output, the output would sink 9.6 mA dc and have a
full-scale current output of ±8 mA. The maximum number of
channels combined must be considered when setting the load
impedance for I/V conversion to ensure that the full-scale swing
and common-mode voltage are within the operating limits of
the AD9271. When interfacing to the
AD8339, a common-
mode voltage of 2.5 V and a full-scale swing of 2.8 V p-p are
desired. This can be accomplished by connecting an inductor
between each CWD output and a 2.5 V supply, and then
connecting either a single-ended or differential load resistance
to the CWD± outputs. The value of resistance should be
calculated based on the maximum number of channels that can
be combined.
CWD± outputs are required under full-scale swing to be greater
than 1.5 V and less than CWVDD (3.3 V supply).
TGC OPERATION
The TGC signal path is fully differential throughout to maximize
signal swing and reduce even-order distortion; however, the LNAs
are designed to be driven from a single-ended signal source. Gain
values are referenced from the single-ended LNA input to the
differential ADC input. A simple exercise in understanding the
maximum and minimum gain requirements is shown in
Figure 48.
LNA FS
(0.333V p-p SE)
ADC FS (2V p-p)
~5dB MARGIN
>8dB MARGIN
ADC NOISE FLOOR
(224V rms)
MINIMUM GAIN
MAXIMUM GAIN
063
04-
09
7
LNA
ADC
70dB
87dB
VGA GAIN RANGE > 30dB
MAX CHANNEL GAIN > 40dB
Figure 48. Gain Requirements of TGC for a 12-Bit, 40 MSPS ADC
In summary, the maximum gain required is determined by
(ADC Noise Floor/VGA Input Noise Floor) + Margin =
20 log(224/5.4) + 8 dB = 40.3 dB
The minimum gain required is determined by
(ADC Input FS/VGA Input FS) + Margin =
20 log(2/0.333) – 5 dB = 10.6 dB
Therefore, a 12-bit, 40 MSPS ADC with 15 MHz of bandwidth
should suffice in achieving the dynamic range required for most
of today’s ultrasound systems.
The system gain is distributed as listed in
Table 8.
Table 8. Channel Gain Distribution
Section
Nominal Gain (dB)
LNA
14/15.6/18
Attenuator
0 to 30
VGA Amp
24
Filter
0
ADC
0
Total
8.4 to 38.4/10 to 40/12.4 to 42.4
The linear-in-dB gain (law conformance) range of the TGC path
is 30 dB, extending from 10 dB to 40 dB. The slope of the gain
control interface is 31.6 dB/V, and the gain control range is 0 V
to 1 V as specified in Equation 3. Equation 4 is the expression
for channel gain.
5
.
0
)
(
)
(
)
(
+
+
=
GAIN
V
GAIN
(3)
ICPT
V
dB
Gain
GAIN +
=
V
dB
6
.
31
)
(
(4)
where ICPT is the intercept point of the TGC gain.
In its default condition, the LNA has a gain of 15.6 dB (6×) and
the VGA gain is 6 dB if the voltage on the GAIN± pins is 0 V.
This gives rise to a total gain (or ICPT) of 10 dB through the
TGC path if the LNA input is unmatched, or of 4 dB if the LNA
is matched to 50 Ω (RFB = 200 Ω). If the voltage on the GAIN±
pins is 1 V, however, the VGA gain is 24 dB. This gives rise to a
total gain of 40 dB through the TGC path if the LNA input is
unmatched, or of 34 dB if the LNA input is matched.
Each LNA output is dc-coupled to a VGA input. The VGA consists
of an attenuator with a range of 30 dB followed by an amplifier
with 24 dB of gain for a net gain range of 6 dB to +24 dB. The
X-AMP gain-interpolation technique results in low gain error
and uniform bandwidth, and differential signal paths minimize
distortion.
At low gains, the VGA should limit the system noise perfor-
mance (SNR); at high gains, the noise is defined by the source and
LNA. The maximum voltage swing is bound by the full-scale
peak-to-peak ADC input voltage (2 V p-p).
Both the LNA and VGA have limitations within each section of
the TGC path, depending on the voltage applied to the GAIN+ and
GAIN pins. The LNA has three limitations, or full-scale settings,
depending on the gain selection applied through the SPI interface.
When a voltage of 0.2 V or less is applied to the GAIN± pins, the
LNA operates near the full-scale input range to maximize the
dynamic range of the ADC without clipping the signal. When
more than 0.2 V is applied to the GAIN± pins, the input signal to
the LNA must be lowered to keep it within the full-scale range