8-Bit 5GS/s D/A converter for multi-gigabit wireless transceivers

We present a method to realize a low-power and highspeed Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC) for system-on-chip applications. The new method is specially suited for modern BiCMOS technologies. A prototype 5 GS/s DAC is implemented in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The DAC dissipates 26 mW and provides an SFDR higher than 48 dB for output frequencies up to 1 GHz.