SBAA653A October   2024  – April 2025 ADC3641 , ADC3642 , ADC3643 , ADC3661 , ADC3662 , ADC3663 , ADC3681 , ADC3682 , ADC3683 , LMK04368-EP , LMK04832 , LMK04832-SEP , LMK04832-SP , LMX1204 , LMX1205 , LMX1404-EP , LMX1860-SEP , LMX1906-SP , LMX2571 , LMX2571-EP , LMX2572 , LMX2572LP , LMX2594 , LMX2595 , LMX2615-SP , LMX2694-EP , LMX2694-SEP , LMX2820

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
  5. 2Understanding the Difference Between Phase Noise and Jitter
  6. 3Understanding How Phase Noise or Jitter can Affect the ADC Performance
  7. 4Understanding Clocking Tradeoffs and What this Means to an ADC's Performance
  8. 5Understanding How to Apply Clocking Tradeoffs to Achieve the Desired ADC Performance
  9. 6Summary
  10. 7References
  11.   Appendix A: Choosing a TI Clock Device Based on the TI High-Speed Converter Used
  12. 8Revision History

Appendix A: Choosing a TI Clock Device Based on the TI High-Speed Converter Used

TI clocking portfolio ranges from a variety of parts that offer low power, low phase noise/jitter, and low cost. However, there are design tradeoffs to achieve the best performance, power, and cost on a single clocking device. High performing devices tend to draw more current and be more expensive, while lower power devices tend to be cheaper but not as high performing. Because of these trade-offs and ample clocking and high-speed converter portfolios, TI created Table 8-1 to guide you in selecting a clock for the high-speed converter your using. Keep in mind that these are general recommendations and the best clock device can vary depending on your specific application requirements. For personalized support, please post your application requirements on E2E.

Table 8-1 TI High-Speed Converter and TI Clock Pairings
High Speed Converter Overall Best Clock Pairing Clock Pairing Tradeoff by Priority (for clock generation only)
Clock generation Clock distribution Lowest Cost Highest Performance Lowest Power Tradeoffs/Comments
ADC12xJ3200
  • When clocking or synchronizing a single converter: LMX2820, LMX2594, or LMX2572
  • When clocking or synchronizing multiple converters: LMK04832
  • When clocking or synchronizing single converter: LMX1205
  • When clocking or synchronizing multiple converters: LMK04832
 LMK04832 LMX2820 LMX2572 Clock distribution:
  • LMK04832: bigger part but cheaper and has 14 total outputs
  • LMX1205: best performance and smaller, but more expensive and only has 4 outputs
Clock generation:
  • LMX2572: lowest power and cheapest but worse performance
  • LMX2594: good balance between cost, power, and performance
  • LMX2820: most expensive and highest power but best performance
ADC12xJ2700
ADC12xJ1600
ADC09xJ1300
ADC09xJ800
ADC12DJ5200RF LMX2820 or LMX2594 LMX1205 LMX2594 LMX2820 LMX2594 LMX2594/LMX2820 + LMX1205 can be paired to create multiple copies of CLK and SYSREF at higher sampling frequencies

  • LMX2594: good balance between cost, power, and performance
  • LMX2820: most expensive and highest power but best performance
ADC35xx/ADC36xx
  • For frequencies < 328MHz: CDCE6214
  • For frequencies between 328MHz and 400MHz: LMK3H0102
  • For best performance: LMX2571
 CDCE6214 LMX2571 CDCE6214
  • CDCE6214: cheapest, small, and lowest power but can only output up to 328MHz and not the best performance
  • LMK3H0102: smallest, newer part with good perfomance but has higher power
  • LMX2571: best performance and lower power but bigger and not versatile
AFE79xx LMX2820 or LMX2594 LMX1205 LMX2594 LMX2820 LMX2594
  • LMX2594 good enough for some applications and overall better clock pairing.
  • LMX2820 offers best performance (especially when paired with an external VCO)
ADC3xRF5x/7x LMX2820 in external VCO mode LMX1205 LMX2820 in external VCO mode LMX2820 in external VCO mode LMX2820 in external VCO mode N/A
AFE8000 LMX2820 or LMX2594 LMX1205 LMX2594 LMX2820 LMX2594
  • LMX2594 good enough for some applications and overall better clock pairing.
  • LMX2820 offers best performance (especially when paired with an external VCO)
DAC39RF10
ADC39xx (8-bit) LMK6P CDC6C LMK6P CDC6C
  • LMK6P: better performance but bigger and higher power
  • CDC6C: smallest and lowest power but worse performance
ADC39xx (10-bit) LMK3H0102 LMK3H0102 CDCE6214 CDCE6214
  • CDCE6214: cheapest, small, and lowest power but can only output up to 328MHz and not the best performance
  • LMK3H0102: smallest, newer part with good perfomance but has higher power
ADC3669 LMX2571or LMK3H0102 CDCE6214 LMX2571 CDCE6214
  • CDCE6214: cheapest, small, and lowest power but can only output up to 328MHz and not the best performance
  • LMK3H0102: smallest, newer part with good perfomance but has higher power
  • LMX2571: best performance and lower power but bigger and not versatile