ADSL Analog Front End

In this paper the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) analog front end (AFE) designs are described and compared. AFE is the part of ADSL modems most responsible for quality signal transmission over phone wires. It can be divided into the transmitting path (TX) circuitry, the receiving path (RX) circuitry and the hybrid network and transformer. The operations and realizations of each functional block are presented. There are the D/A converter, the filter and the line driver in the TX path and the voltage gain amplifier, the filter and the A/D converter in the RX path. The hybrid network and transformer process signals in both directions. Different fabrication technologies are used for the practical realizations of the AFE chip. The directions of the further developing are notified.