Ultra-Compact DAC Packs A Performance Punch

The AD5641 NANODAC is the first in a family of very small digital-to-analog converters (DACs) with high-performance features despite their small package size. Available in a compact 2- by 2.2-mm SC-70 package that consumes 70% less pc-board real estate and 80% less power than comparable products, this 14-bit DAC from Analog Devices Inc. features guaranteed monotonic behavior and consumes just 100 µA of current at 5 V. It's also available in 12-, 10-, and 8-bit options.

Key to the device's design is a combination of patented architectural and packaging innovations. ADI combines its "segmented string" architecture, which offers high accuracy in the smallest die area, with its chip-on-lead (COL) die-packaging technology, which minimizes package cavity size.

Other features include 4-bit integral nonlinearity, a 1.8-V CMOS interface, power-on-reset to 0 V with brownout detection, three power-down functions, and a low-power serial interface with three Schmitt-trigger inputs. An on-chip output buffer operates from rail-to-rail. A sync interrupt facility is available as well.

The AD5641 is sampling now. Production quantities start in December. It costs from $0.90 to $4.75 each in 1000-unit quantities, depending on the resolution and accuracy combination chosen.