ANALOG DEVICES EVAL-ADRF5714 Silicon Digital Attenuator User Manual

June 16, 2024
Analog Devices

User Guide | EVAL-ADRF5714
UG-2173
Evaluation of the ADRF5714 Silicon Digital Attenuator, 1-Bit, 100 MHz to 30 GHz
ADRF5714-EVALZ EVALUATION BOARD PHOTOGRAPH

FEATURES

  • Full featured evaluation board for the ADRF5714
  • Easy connection to test equipment
  • Additional through line for calibration

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

  • DC power supplies
  •  Network analyzer

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The ADRF5714 is a 1-bit digital attenuator with 16 dB attenuation control range manufactured in the silicon on insulator (SOI) process.
This user guide describes the ADRF5714-EVALZ, which is designed to simply evaluate the features and performance of the ADRF5714. A photograph of the ADRF5714-EVALZ is shown in Figure 1.
The ADRF5714 data sheet provides full specifications for the ADRF5714. Refer to the ADRF5714 data sheet in conjunction with this user guide when using the ADRF5714-EVALZ.

REVISION HISTORY
12/2023—Revision 0: Initial Version

EVALUATION BOARD HARDWARE

OVERVIEW
The ADRF5714-EVALZ is a connectorized board, assembled with the ADRF5714 and its application circuitry. All components are placed on the primary side of the ADRF5714-EVALZ. An assembly drawing for the ADRF5714-EVALZ is shown in Figure 8, and an
evaluation board schematic is shown in Figure 7.
BOARD LAYOUT
The ADRF5714-EVALZ is designed using RF circuit design techniques on a 4-layer printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB stack-up is shown in Figure 2.

The outer copper layers are 1.5 oz (2.2 mil) thick and the inner layers are 0.5 oz (0.7 mil) thick.
The top dielectric material is 12 mil Rogers 4003, which provides 50 Ω controlled impedance and optimizes the high frequency performance. All RF traces are routed on the top layer, and the second layer is used as the ground plane for RF transmission lines. The remaining two layers are also ground planes filled with FR4 material to manage the thermal rise during high power operations and are supported with dense and filled vias to the PCB bottom for thermal relief. The overall board thickness is approximately 62 mil for mechanical strength.
The RF transmission lines are designed using a coplanar waveguide (CPWG) model with a width of 16 mil and ground spacing of 6 mil to have a characteristic impedance of 50 Ω. Ground via fences are arranged on both sides of the CPWG to improve isolation between nearby RF lines and other signal lines.
The exposed ground pad of the ADRF5714, which is soldered on the PCB ground pad, is the main thermal conduit for heat dissipation. The PCB ground pad is densely populated with filled, through vias to provide the lowest possible thermal resistance path from the top to the bottom of the PCB. The connections from the package ground leads to ground are kept as short as possible.

POWER SUPPLY AND CONTROL INPUTS
The ADRF5714-EVALZ has two power supply inputs, one control input, and a ground, as shown in Table 1. The DC test points are populated on VDD, VSS, D0, and GND. A 3.3 V supply is connected to the DC test points on VDD, and the −3.3 V supply is connected to the DC test points on VSS. Ground reference can be connected to GND. Connect the D0 control input to 3.3 V or 0 V.
The typical total current consumption for the ADRF5714 is between 630 mA and 660 mA.
The VDD and VSS supply pins of the ADRF5714 are decoupled with a 100 pF capacitor.

Table 1. Power Supply and Control Inputs

Test Point Description
VDD +3.3 V supply voltage
VSS −3.3 V supply voltage
D0 Control Input 1
GND Ground

RF INPUTS AND OUTPUTS
The ADRF5714-EVALZ has four edge-mounted, 2.92 mm connectors for the RF inputs and outputs, as shown in Table 2.
Table 2. RF Inputs and Outputs

SMA Connector Description
ATTIN Attenuator input
ATTOUT Attenuator output
THRU1 Thru line input and output
THRU2 Thru line input and output

The ADRF5714-EVALZ is shipped together with a through line that calibrates out the board loss effects from the measurements determining the device performance at the pins of the IC.

TEST PROCEDURE

BIASING SEQUENCE
To bias up the ADRF5714-EVALZ, take the following steps:

  1. Ground the GND test point.
  2.  Bias up the VDD test point.
  3.  Bias up the VSS test point.
  4. Bias up the D0 test point.
  5. Apply an RF input signal.

The ADRF5714-EVALZ is shipped fully assembled and tested. Figure 3 provides a basic test setup diagram to evaluate the s-parameters using a network analyzer. Perform the following steps to complete the test setup and to verify the operation of the ADRF5714-EVALZ:

  1. Connect the GND test point to the ground terminal of the power supply.
  2. Connect the VDD test point to the voltage output terminal of the 3.3 V supply.
  3. Connect the VSS test point to the voltage output terminal of the −3.3 V supply. Note that the current from the VDD test point is around 130 μA and the current from the VSS test point isaround 500 μA.
  4.  Connect the D0 test point to the voltage output terminal of the 3.3 V supply. The ADRF5714 can be configured in different modes by connecting the control test points to 3.3 V or 0 V, as shown in Table 3.
  5. Connect a calibrated network analyzer to the ATTIN and ATTOUT 2.92 mm connectors. Sweep the frequency from 100 MHz to 30 GHz and set the power to 10 dBm.
  6.  The ADRF5714-EVALZ is expected to have an insertion loss of 1.30 dB at 30 GHz. See the expected results in Figure 4.

Additional test equipment is needed to fully evaluate the device functions and performance. For third-order intercept point evaluation, use two signal generators and a spectrum analyzer. A high isolation power combiner is also recommended.
For power compression and power handling evaluations, use a 2channel power meter and a signal generator. A high enough power amplifier is also recommended at the input. Test accessories, such as couplers and attenuators, must have enough power handling.
Note that the measurements performed at the 2.92 mm connectors of the ADRF5714-EVALZ include the losses of the 2.92 mm connectors and the PCB. The thru line must be measured to calibrate out the effects on the ADRF5714-EVALZ. The thru line is the summation of an RF input line and an RF output line that are connected to the device and equal in length.

Table 3. Control Voltage Truth Table

D0 Attenuation State (dB)
Low 0 (reference)
High 16

EXPECTED RESULTS

EVALUATION BOARD SCHEMATIC AND ARTWORK

ORDERING INFORMATION

BILL OF MATERIALS
Table 4. Bill of Materials for ADRF5714-EVALZ

Quantity Reference Designator Description Manufacturer Part Number
2 C1, C2 Capacitors, 100 pF, 50 V, C0402 package Murata GCM1555C1H101JA16D
1 R1 Resistor, 0 Ω, 1/10 W, R0402 package Yageo RC0402JR-070RL
2 ATTIN, ATTOUT Surface-mount test points Hirose Electronic Co. HK-LR-

SR2(12)
4| D0, GND, VDD, VSS| Surface-mount test points| Components Corporation| TP-104-01-0X
1| U1| 1-bit digital attenuator| Analog Devices, Inc.| ADRF5714
1| PCB| Evaluation board| Analog Devices| ADRF5714-EVALZ

ESD Caution
ESD (electrostatic discharge) sensitive device. Charged devices and circuit boards can discharge without detection. Although this product features patented or proprietary protection circuitry, damage may occur on devices subjected to high energy ESD. Therefore, proper ESD precautions should be taken to avoid performance degradation or loss of functionality.

Legal Terms and Conditions
By using the evaluation board discussed herein (together with any tools, components documentation or support materials, the “Evaluation Board”), you are agreeing to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth below (“Agreement”) unless you have purchased the Evaluation Board, in which case the Analog Devices Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale shall govern. Do not use the Evaluation Board until you have read and agreed to the Agreement. Your use of the Evaluation Board shall signify your acceptance of the Agreement. This Agreement is made by and between you (“Customer”) and Analog Devices, Inc. (“ADI”), with its principal place of business at Subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, ADI hereby grants to Customer a free, limited, personal, temporary, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, non-transferable license to use the Evaluation Board FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY. Customer understands and agrees that the Evaluation Board is provided for the sole and exclusive purpose referenced above, and agrees not to use the Evaluation Board for any other purpose. Furthermore, the license granted is expressly made subject to the following additional limitations: Customer shall not (i) rent, lease, display, sell, transfer, assign, sublicense, or distribute the Evaluation Board; and (ii) permit any Third Party to access the Evaluation Board. As used herein, the term “Third Party” includes any entity other than ADI, Customer, their employees, affiliates and in-house consultants. The Evaluation Board is NOT sold to Customer; all rights not expressly granted herein, including ownership of the Evaluation Board, are reserved by ADI. CONFIDENTIALITY. This Agreement and the Evaluation Board shall all be considered the confidential and proprietary information of ADI. Customer may not disclose or transfer any portion of the Evaluation Board to any other party for any reason. Upon discontinuation of use of the Evaluation Board or termination of this Agreement, Customer agrees to promptly return the Evaluation Board to ADI. ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS. Customer may not disassemble, decompile or reverse engineer chips on the Evaluation Board. Customer shall inform ADI of any occurred damages or any modifications or alterations it makes to the Evaluation Board, including but not limited to soldering or any other activity that affects the material content of the Evaluation Board. Modifications to the Evaluation Board must comply with applicable law, including but not limited to the RoHS Directive. TERMINATION. ADI may terminate this Agreement at any time upon giving written notice to Customer. Customer agrees to return to ADI the Evaluation Board at that time. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. THE EVALUATION BOARD PROVIDED HEREUNDER IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ADI MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO IT. ADI SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATIONS, ENDORSEMENTS, GUARANTEES, OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, RELATED TO THE EVALUATION BOARD INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, TITLE, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NONINFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. IN NO EVENT WILL ADI AND ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM CUSTOMER’S POSSESSION OR USE OF THE EVALUATION BOARD, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST PROFITS, DELAY COSTS, LABOR COSTS OR LOSS OF GOODWILL. ADI’S TOTAL LIABILITY FROM ANY AND ALL CAUSES SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT OF ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS ($100.00). EXPORT. Customer agrees that it will not directly or indirectly export the Evaluation Board to another country, and that it will comply with all applicable United States federal laws and regulations relating to exports. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (excluding conflict of law rules). Any legal action regarding this Agreement will be heard in the state or federal courts having jurisdiction in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, and Customer hereby submits to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods shall not apply to this Agreement and is expressly disclaimed.

©2023 Analog Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks and
registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
One Analog Way, Wilmington, MA 01887-2356, U.S.A.
Rev. 0

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