Experimental Results of Advanced Wideband Data Converters for Direct K-band Software Defined Radio

Next generation communication standardization is calling for more flexibility with an access to higher carrier frequencies and wider instantaneous bandwidth. We propose to tackle these challenges by introducing wideband data converter solutions capable to directly access the microwave spectrum at K-band (18-27 GHz). Experimental results of a DAC synthesizing a signal in its 8
^th
Nyquist zone is demonstrated, showing an SFDR better than 35 dBc at 23 GHz. A proof of concept of a wideband sampling solution based on a track-and-hold amplifier and an ADC has been realized. Improved performance are achieved after spurious components analysis to reach an SFDR above 50 dBc within the K-band.