Linear Technology has announced the LTC6946, an integer-N frequency synthesiser with an integrated voltage controlled oscillator, delivering -226dBc/Hz normalised closed-loop, in-band phase noise, -274dBc/Hz normalised in-band 1/f noise, and -103dBc spurious output. The frequency synthesiser is available in three frequency options: the LTC6946-1 tunes from 2.240 to 3.740GHz; the LTC6946-2 from 3.080 to 4.910GHz; and the LTC6946-3 covers 3.840 to 5.790GHz. Each part has an on-chip output divider that is programmable from one to six to extend frequency coverage down to 373MHz, says the company. The Integer-N synthesiser integrates a low noise 5.7GHz PLL, which includes a reference divider, phase-frequency detector with phase-locked indicator, low noise charge pump, and integer feedback divider. The frequency synthesiser is suitable for multi-band basestations supporting LTE, W-CDMA, CDMA, GSM and WiMAX standards and also supports point-to-point broadband wireless access, military, avionics, and test and measurement applications. The PLLWizard PC-based design tool software is available for interactive control and interface with the evaluation board. The synthesiser operates from -40 to 105°C and is available in a 4x5mm, 28-lead plastic QFN package.
