Fastest 16bit SAR converter launched

The AD7626 is said to feature a 15bit effective number of bits and to sustain a throughput of 10Msample/s. Another feature of note is a signal to noise ratio of 92dB, said to be 8dB better than any other a/d converter, regardless of architecture. According to product line director Leo McHugh, Analog made a breakthrough in 2002 with the first Msample/s 16bit SAR converter. “Since then, we have been building on this – and the rate of change is impressive.” Although the AD7626 is manufactured on the same process technology as its predecessors, data conversion throughput has been tripled, whilst the package size has been reduced. Power consumption is said to be 130mW at full sample rate. McHugh claimed three factors had enabled this. “We’ve changed to a multibit architecture,” he noted, “but there’s also calibration and process contributions.” He also noted the benefit of more powerful simulation tools. “This means we can do more simulations of different approaches.” Potential applications for the device include medical imaging, where designers are looking to provide clearer images more quickly. “If you have a signal bandwidth that doesn’t need Msample/s performance,” McHugh noted, “you can provide more channels by multiplexing.” The company suggests some medical imaging devices could use the AD7626 in a two channel configuration in which each channel operates at 5Msample/s. This would allow designers to reduce data converter component count by 50% whlst maintaining conversion speeds that are 25% faster than existing solutions. The AD7626 is accompanied by the AD7625, a 6Msample/s device, which consumes 100mW at full sample rate. Both are available in 5x5mm packages.