e2v Selects Jazz Semiconductor For Analog-To-Digital Converter Products

Chelmsford, England and Newport Beach, CA -- e2v and Jazz Semiconductor recently announced that e2v has chosen Jazz's 0.18-micron SiGe BiCMOS process (SBC18HX), for the manufacture of its high resolution programmable data converter products. e2v and Jazz have already demonstrated their successful collaboration on e2v's 12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) developed using Jazz Semiconductor's 0.35-micron SiGe BiCMOS process, SBC35.

The AT84AS001TP is a 12-bit A/D Converter that can provide 500 Msps data conversion from a single monolithic chip. This breakthrough in ADC design allows system designers to accurately digitize intermediate frequency (IF) signals with frequencies up to 500 MHz at twice the sampling rate of conventional 12-bit ADCs. As a result of combining Jazz's high speed silicon technology and e2v's proprietary chip architecture, a new 12-bit ADC standard has been set without compromising on power consumption, dynamic range or linearity. This makes the AT84AS001TP ideal for a wide range of applications including telecommunication infrastructure, high IF broadband digital receivers, test and measurement equipment, high speed data acquisition and radar and communications systems.

Jazz's SBC35 process, used to develop e2v's 12-bit ADC, is a mature, low-power, cost-effective solution for both networking and wireless applications. Designers have the flexibility of using any combination of three SiGe bipolar (NPN) transistors, each of which provides a different optimization for power and speed. The highest speed transistor has an Ft of 62GHz and is used for high-performance blocks while the high power transistor can be used to integrate power amplifiers or high-speed drivers on the same chip.

e2v is now developing high speed A/D Converters using Jazz's SiGe BiCMOS 0.18-micron process, SBC18HX, including the reconfigurable Quad 8-bit 5 Gsps A/D Converter (EV84AQ160CTPY) which provides on-chip interleaving of four separate channels with conversion rates from 1.25 Gsps to 5 Gsps from a single chip at 1W per channel. This next generation A/D Converter features the benefits of fast SiGe bipolar transistors coupled with MOS transistors for lower power consumption and high speed.

"We are continually looking to respond to market demands for ADCs with ever higher linearity over wider analog bandwidths," said Thierry Gouvernel, General Manager of e2v's Broadband Data Converter & Microprocessors Business Unit, adding "the more advanced 0.18-micron SiGe BiCMOS process from Jazz is helping us meet this goal."

"Our broad range of modular AIMS technologies provides features that allow customers like e2v to deliver innovative products and achieve quick time to market," said Marco Racanelli, vice president of technology and engineering at Jazz Semiconductor. "We look forward to continuing our relationship with e2v on its next-generation ADC products."

SOURCE: e2v technologies