Data Sheet
AD9259
Rev. E | Page 19 of 52
THEORY OF OPERATION
The AD9259 architecture consists of a pipelined ADC divided into
three sections: a 4-bit first stage followed by eight 1.5-bit stages and
a final 3-bit flash. Each stage provides sufficient overlap to correct
for flash errors in the preceding stage. The quantized outputs from
each stage are combined into a final 14-bit result in the digital
correction logic. The pipelined architecture permits the first stage
to operate with a new input sample while the remaining stages
operate with preceding samples. Sampling occurs on the rising
edge of the clock.
Each stage of the pipeline, excluding the last, consists of a low
resolution flash ADC connected to a switched-capacitor DAC
and an interstage residue amplifier (for example, a multiplying
digital-to-analog converter (MDAC)). The residue amplifier
magnifies the difference between the reconstructed DAC output
and the flash input for the next stage in the pipeline. One bit of
redundancy is used in each stage to facilitate digital correction of
flash errors. The last stage simply consists of a flash ADC.
The output staging block aligns the data, corrects errors, and
passes the data to the output buffers. The data is then serialized
and aligned to the frame and data clocks.
ANALOG INPUT CONSIDERATIONS
The analog input to the AD9259 is a differential switched-
capacitor circuit designed for processing differential input
signals. This circuit can support a wide common-mode range
while maintaining excellent performance. By using an input
common-mode voltage of midsupply, users can minimize
signal-dependent errors and achieve optimum performance.
S
H
CPAR
CSAMPLE
CPAR
VIN – x
H
S
H
VIN + x
H
05965-
006
Figure 35. Switched-Capacitor Input Circuit
The clock signal alternately switches the input circuit between
sample mode and hold mode (see
Figure 35). When the input
circuit is switched to sample mode, the signal source must be
capable of charging the sample capacitors and settling within
one-half of a clock cycle. A small resistor in series with each
input can help reduce the peak transient current injected from
the output stage of the driving source. In addition, low-Q inductors
or ferrite beads can be placed on each leg of the input to reduce
high differential capacitance at the analog inputs and therefore
achieve the maximum bandwidth of the ADC. Such use of
low-Q inductors or ferrite beads is required when driving the
converter front end at high IF frequencies. Either a shunt
capacitor or two single-ended capacitors can be placed on the
inputs to provide a matching passive network. This ultimately
creates a low-pass filter at the input to limit unwanted
broadband noise. See the AN-742 Application Note, the AN-827
Application Note, and the Analog Dialogue article “Transformer-
Coupled Front-End for Wideband A/D Converters” (Volume
general, the precise values depend on the application.
The analog inputs of the AD9259 are not internally dc-biased.
Therefore, in ac-coupled applications, the user must provide
this bias externally. Setting the device so that VCM = AVDD/2 is
recommended for optimum performance, but the device can
function over a wider range with reasonable performance, as
S
NR/
S
F
DR
(
d
B)
ANALOG INPUT COMMON-MODE VOLTAGE (V)
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
SFDR (dBc)
SNR (dB)
05965-
078
fIN = 2.3MHz
fSAMPLE = 50MSPS
Figure 36. SNR/SFDR vs. Common-Mode Voltage,
fIN = 2.3 MHz, fSAMPLE = 50 MSPS
S
NR/
S
F
DR
(
d
B)
ANALOG INPUT COMMON-MODE VOLTAGE (V)
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
SFDR (dBc)
SNR (dB)
05965-
079
fIN = 30MHz
fSAMPLE = 50MSPS
Figure 37. SNR/SFDR vs. Common-Mode Voltage,
fIN = 30 MHz, fSAMPLE = 50 MSPS