From DC to Daylight: Single Chip RF Solutions for Wired, Wireless and High Frequency Applications

Until recently FPGA devices were typically used for high speed data pre and post processing of RF signals, and were connected to external A/D and D/A converters. Recently direct-RF data converters have seen increased adoption, due to their unparalleled bandwidth and flexibility. There are now, in production, fully integrated FPGA devices with multi-giga-sample per second direct-RF A/D and D/A converters, Soft-Decision Forward Error Correction (SD-FEC) modules, and processing systems. These integrated devices enable single chip solutions for wired, wireless, narrowband, and long range IoT. Direct RF sampling moves the A/D and D/A conversion process closer to the antenna such that the converter directly samples the RF signal. This technology allows analog/RF signal processing to be moved in to the digital domain enabling a more flexible and programmable solution to be delivered. Advantages include: • Elimination of analog/RF signal processing and associated impairments • Increased flexibility to support wider bandwidths and multiple operating RF bands • Enablement of a software defined radio front end • Reduced overall system cost, power and footprint In this session we will cover • DC to Daylight – The need for Direct RF Conversion • Introduction to FPGA devices including up to eight 4 GSPS 12-bit ADCs, eight 6.4 GSPS 14 bit DACs, eight SD-FECs, and integrated processing system • Sample applications of these devices will be described including: Wired Wireless Radar