Frequently Asked Questions About Factory-Configurable ADCs and the Plural Platform

A factory-configurable ADC is an analog-to-digital converter whose final specifications are programmed after wafer fabrication rather than being permanently defined in silicon. This approach allows multiple product variants to be created from a single base ADC design, reducing manufacturing and improving availability.

Traditional ADCs require a unique wafer configuration for each product variant. The Plural platform uses a small number of base ADC designs that are configured in the factory using Silanna’s ResolutionEngine™, allowing dozens of ADC configurations to be produced without separate wafer runs.

The Plural platform addresses high ADC costs, long lead times, limited availability, and frequent end-of-life decisions. By decoupling configuration from fabrication, Plural enables wide ADC portfolios that are economically viable and consistently available.

The Plural platform is built around four base ADC architectures covering 10-bit, 12-bit, 14-bit, and 16-bit resolution. These base designs support a wide range of sampling rates, channel counts, and package options through factory configuration.

Plural ADCs support sampling rates from 20 Msps up to 250 Msps in current products. Future devices on the roadmap will extend sampling rates up to 4 Gsps.

Yes. Many Plural ADCs are designed as pin-for-pin, drop-in compatible replacements for widely used legacy ADC configurations. This allows system designers to reduce cost and lead time without modifying PCB layouts or firmware.

Plural ADCs are priced approximately 30% lower than comparable offerings from legacy ADC suppliers, while maintaining performance, compatibility, and reliability.

Because Plural ADCs are configured after fabrication and stocked in volume, typical lead times are measured in weeks rather than months, even for niche configurations.

No. Since all Plural ADC configurations are derived from a small number of base designs, there is no economic incentive to discontinue individual SKUs. This significantly reduces end-of-life risk for long-lifecycle systems.

Plural ADCs are manufactured on a fully qualified TSMC 40 nm CMOS process. This mature process technology provides high reliability, consistent performance, and long-term availability.

Plural ADC architectures and intellectual property are developed in the United States. Manufacturing is performed offshore in locations entirely outside of China to ensure competitive pricing and supply-chain resilience.

Plural ADCs deliver spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of up to 89.45 dBc in high-precision configurations and maintain 76.20 dBc SFDR at 250 Msps.

Yes. Some Plural ADCs include integrated DSP features such as on-chip decimation, IQ pairing, and interleaving with decimation.

Plural ADCs are available in commercial and MIL-TEMP variants, with military-temperature devices supporting operation from –55 °C to +125 °C.

Plural ADCs support LVDS outputs for high-speed signal integrity and CMOS outputs for low-power applications. Device configuration is handled through a 3-wire SPI-compatible interface.

Factory-configurable ADCs are well suited for system designers who need high performance, predictable availability, long product lifetimes, and lower cost.