A novel architecture for extending the frequency range of arbitrary waveform generators

The authors describe a multipath combined architecture for extending the high-frequency limit of arbitrary-waveform generators using relatively slow, inexpensive waveform memory and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters. An experimental four-path combined generator has been built, which achieves a frequency range four times as broad as the conventional architecture without degradation in other specifications. Design fundamentals are explained, and the pertinent mathematical expressions for calculating the signal-to-noise ratio and the frequency distributions of the generator outputs are derived and proved