The development of high bandwidth arbitrary waveform generator based on ADA14S800

To enhance signal generation capabilities, improve the performance of experimental and testing equipment, and promote innovation in related technological fields, this study aims to develop a high-bandwidth Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) using the high-speed Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) ADA14S8000 made in China.

The AWG uses the Direct Digital Waveform Synthesis (DDWS) principle with FPGA assistance to generate the waveform and achieved a storage depth of 2 Gpts with four Double Data Rate 4 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DDR4 SDRAM). The AWG comprises the waveform generation module, waveform conditioning module, and an operational software called AWGOperator. To initiate waveform generation, the AWGOperator is used to configure the waveform parameters, after which the waveform data are transferred to the waveform generation module via USB 3.0. Subsequently, the waveform generation module processes the data and generates the corresponding analogue waveform. Real-time adjustments of amplitude, bias, and delay parameters of the output waveform are also supported.

The AWG provides a maximum sampling rate of 4 GSPS, a resolution of 14 bits, and a bandwidth specification of 1.6 GHz, and typical non-harmonic distortion of − 55 dBc and a phase noise of less than − 110 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset.