The MAX5871 high-performance interpolating and modulating 16-bit 5.9Gsps RF DAC can directly synthesize up to 600MHz of instantaneous bandwidth from DC to frequencies greater than 2.8GHz. The device enables multi-standard and multi-band transmitters in wireless communications applications. The device meets spectral mask requirements for a broad set of communication standards including multicarrier GSM, UMTS, and LTE.The device integrates interpolation filters, a digital quadrature modulator, a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO), clock multiplying PLL+VCO and a 14-bit RF DAC core. The user-configurable 5x, 6x, 6.67x, 8x, 10x, 12x, 13.33x, 16x, 20x or 24x, linear phase interpolation filters simplify reconstruction filtering, while enhancing passband dynamic performance, and reduce the input data bandwidth required from an FPGA/ASIC. The NCO allows for fully agile modulation of the input baseband signal for direct RF synthesis.The MAX5871 accepts 16-bit input data via a four-lane JESD204B SerDes data input interface that is Subclass-0 and Subclass-1 compliant. The interface can be configured for 1, 2, or 4 lanes and supports data rates up to 10Gbps per lane allowing flexibility to optimize the I/O count and speed.The MAX5871 clock input has a flexible clock interface and accepts a differential sine-wave, or square-wave input clock signal. A bypassable clock multiplying PLL and VCO can be used to generate a high-frequency sampling clock. The device outputs a divided reference clock to ensure synchronization of the system clock and DAC clock. In addition, multiple devices can be synchronized using JESD204B Subclass-1.The MAX5871 uses a differential current-steering architecture and can produce a 0dBm full-scale output signal level with a 50Ω load. Operating from 1.8V and 1.0V power supplies, the device consumes 2.5W at 4.9Gsps. The device is offered in a compact 144-pin, 10mm x 10mm, FCCSP package and is specified for the extended industrial temperature range (-40°C to +85°C).ApplicationsCellular Base-Station Transmitters2.5G/3G - GSM/TDMA/CDMA/UMTS4G LTE and WiMAXMulti-Standard and Multi-Band TransmittersPoint-to-Point Microwave LinksWireless Backhaul