AD9410
Rev. A | Page 16 of 20
THEORY OF OPERATION
The AD9410 architecture is optimized for high speed and ease
of use. The analog inputs drive an integrated high bandwidth
track-and-hold circuit that samples the signal prior to
quantization by the flash 10-bit core. For ease of use, the part
includes an on-board reference and input logic that accepts
TTL, CMOS, or PECL levels.
USING THE AD9410
Clock Input
Any high speed ADC is extremely sensitive to the quality of the
sampling clock provided by the user. A track-and-hold circuit is
essentially a mixer, and any noise, distortion, or timing jitter on
the clock combines with the desired signal at the ADC output.
For that reason, considerable care has been taken in the design
of the clock input of the AD9410, and the user is advised to give
commensurate thought to the clock source. To limit SNR
degradation to less than 1 dB, a clock source with less than
1.25 ps rms jitter is required for sampling at Nyquist (for
example, the Valpey Fisher VF561). Note that required jitter
accuracy is a function of input frequency and amplitude. Refer
to the Analog Devices, Inc.
AN-501 application note, Aperture
Uncertainty and ADC System Performance
, for more
information.
The clock input is fully TTL/CMOS compatible. The clock
input can be driven differentially or with a single-ended signal.
Best performance is obtained when driving the clock differentially.
Both clock inputs are self-biased to 1/3 × VCC by a high impedance
ended clocking, which can be appropriate for lower frequency
or nondemanding applications, is accomplished by driving the
clock input directly and placing a 0.1 μF capacitor at CLOCK.
CLK+
CLK–
AD9410
TTL/
CMOS
GATE
0.1F
01
67
9-
0
26
Figure 26. Driving Single-Ended Clock Input at TTL/CMOS Levels
An example where the clock is obtained from a PECL driver is
shown in
Figure 27. Note that the PECL driver is ac-coupled to
the clock inputs to minimize input current loading. The
AD9410 can be dc-coupled to PECL logic levels, resulting in the
clock input currents increasing to approximately 8 mA typical,
which is due to the difference in dc bias between the clock
CLK+
CLK–
AD9410
PECL
GATE
0.1F
01
679
-027
0.1F
GND
510
Figure 27. Driving the Clock Inputs Differentially
ANALOG INPUT
The analog input to the AD9410 is a differential buffer. For best
dynamic performance, impedances at AIN and AIN should
match. The analog input has been optimized to provide
superior wideband performance and requires that the analog
inputs be driven differentially. SNR and SINAD performance
degrades significantly if the analog input is driven with a single-
ended signal. A wideband transformer, such as Mini-Circuits
ADT1-1WT, can be used to provide the differential analog
inputs for applications that require a single-ended-to-
differential conversion. Both analog inputs are self-biased by an
on-chip resistor divider to nominal 3 V (see the
EquivalentSpecial care was taken in the design of the
Analog Input section
of the AD9410 to prevent damage and corruption of data when
the input is overdriven. The nominal input range is 1.5 V diff p-p.
The nominal differential input range is 768 mV p-p × 2.
2.616
INP
UT
S
P
AN
(V
)
3.384
3.000
AIN
01
67
9-
0
28
Figure 28. Typical Analog Input Levels
DIGITAL OUTPUTS
The digital outputs are TTL/CMOS compatible for lower power
consumption. The outputs are biased from a separate supply
(VDD), allowing easy interface to external logic. The outputs are
CMOS devices that swing from ground to VDD (with no dc
load). It is recommended to minimize the capacitive load the
ADC drives by keeping the output traces short (<1 inch, for a
total CLOAD < 5 pF). It is also recommended to place low value
(20 Ω) series damping resistors on the data lines to reduce
switching transient effects on performance.
CLOCK OUTPUTS (DCO, DCO)
The input clock is divided by two and available off-chip at DCO
and DCO. These clocks can facilitate latching off-chip,
providing a low skew clocking solution (see
Figure 2). These
clocks can also be used in multiple AD9410 systems to
synchronize the ADCs. Depending on application, DCO or
DCO can be buffered and used to drive the DS inputs on a
second AD9410, ensuring synchronization. The on-chip clock
buffers should not drive more than 5 pF to 7 pF of capacitance
to limit switching transient effects on performance.