The ever-improving performance of high-speed data converters is
changing the way that designers of portable radios and
communications infrastructure are handling signal processing.
Digital technology improves as precision photolithography
continues to deliver more transistors per given chip area. And
with the improvements come greater impact on RF and microwave
designs. High-speed analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), for
example, have paved the way for software-definedradio (SDR)
architectures that are being adopted in everything from cellular
base stations to military tactical radios. And thanks to high-
performance digital-to-analog converters (DACs), complex
waveforms can be generated with high precision and wide dynamic
range. ADCs and DACs are among the most diversified of
electronic components in terms of performance. Specifiers can
choose from a wide range of capabilities as defined by clock
rate, frequency range, bit resolution, noise levels, power
consumption, and dynamic range. Products range from co