ADI’s  digital VGA and driver sets new output benchmark with greater than ±200-mA drive capability, while integrating three discrete functions for industrial and auto cabling applications.

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications and market leader in amplifier ICs, today introduced a digitally programmable VGA (variable gain amplifier) with transmit driver that sets a new standard of performance for driving signals over power lines, cables, and other applications with low impedance. The AD8260 operates on a single 3.3-V power supply and has a transmit driver that produces ±200-mA output up to 100 kHz, and greater than ±100-mA above that frequency. This is an improvement over competing solutions using a discrete VGA, output driver and pre-amp, which consume 90 percent more board space, and require multiple power supplies.

AD 8260 steps providing the headroom needed for losses introduced in various cabling systems. The new VGA features 2.4nV/rtHz input voltage noise and driver with a built-in gain of 1.5, which is ideal for converting DAC (digital-to-analog converter) differential output signals to a voltage that can directly drive very low impedances. The AD8260 can fully drive a 10  load with 2 Vpp at 10 MHz. In addition, the chip dissipates just 93 mW of power, which is less than half that of competing devices.
 
More About the AD8260

The AD8260 includes a high-current driver, usable as a transmitter, and a low-noise digitally programmable VGA, which is useable as a receiver, combined in a 5 mm x 5 mm chip-scale package. The receiver section consists of a single-ended input preamplifier and linear-in-dB, differential-output VGA. The differential output facilitates the interface to modern low-voltage, high-speed ADCs (analog-to-digital converters). Versatile single- and dual-supply operation allow gain control of negative-going pulses, such as generated by photodiodes or photo-multiplier tubes, and allows for the processing of band-pass signals on a single supply. The AD8260 preamplifier is user-configurable with external resistors for gains greater than 6 dB.
The driver is set-up to be driven by modern current output DACs, like the high-speed AD9742 12 bit, 3.3 V supply DAC.

Pricing and Availability

The AD8260 is sampling now, with full volume production scheduled for March 2008. The AD8260 is available in a 32-Lead LFCSP (lead-frame chip-scale package) over the extended industrial temperature range -40C to 105C and is priced at $3.79 in 1,000-unit quantities. For more information, visit http://www.analog.com/pr/AD8260.