STAR3010

Description

STAR3010 is a high-speed DAC for RF applications. The DAC is used in a wireless application with I/Q channels. It uses a 4-2 segmented architecture to provide a good trade-off between dynamic performance and array size. The input to the DAC is a stream of 24bits at 880MHz from a digital macro, running at a quarter of the DAC sampling rate. As such, the P2S block handles the data timing interface between analog and the digital block, as well as serializing the parallel digital data into a series 3.52Gbps datastream. As a test and debug feature of the P2S, the data is de-serialized, and fed back to the digital block for bit-error-rate checking. The DAC array consists of randomized current-steering DAC unit cells.

The DAC achieves an SFDR of 36dB and an SNDR of 32dB up to the nyquist bandwidth of 1.76GHz. For a sine-wave output frequency of 1.14GHz, and a full-scale amplitude of 550mVppd, the power consumption of the is 101mW.

Features

• 3.5GHz Sample-rate

• Supports a 33-67% duty cycle input clock

• 6 bits resolution

• Selectable full-scale amplitude programmability (200mVppd – 550mVppd)

• Full-scale amplitude tuning step: 50mVppd

• SFDR = 36dB (for output amplitude = 550mV_{ppd}, output frequency = 1.14GHz)

• SNDR = 32dB (for output amplitude = 550mV_{ppd}, output frequency = 1.14GHz)

• Selectable output impedance/termination programmability (50/100 Ohm)

• Output impedance fine-tuning range: ±20%

• External termination option available

• Single 1.1V supply

• I/Q channel synchronous reset available

• Digital interface at 880Mbps

• Timing .lib information available for digital interface timing

• 40nm TSMC LP-CMOS process

• Macro area: 450um x 396um

• Power Consumption: 101mW

Applications

• Broadband communication systems

• Cellular infrastructures

• 60GHz radio applications

• Radar/avionics

• Point-to-Point wireless