October 14, 2025
Article
Modern RF systems require extreme timing precision and phase coherence. Applications such as phased-array radar, 5G massive MIMO, radio astronomy and high-end instrumentation depend on multi-channel digitizers that sample in tight phase alignment. Any inter-channel timing or phase mismatch degrades beamforming, reduces array sensitivity and complicates calibration.
Synchronization is addressed at multiple scales:
This technical article gives you an overview of Multi-Tile Synchronization (MTS) in AMD’s Zynq™ UltraScale+™ RFSoC architecture and its validation on iWave’s ZU49DR SoM platform.
The AMD RFSoC integrates multiple ADC and DAC tiles, each containing several converter channels. While each tile can operate independently, their sampling instants are not inherently phase-aligned. Without synchronization, cross-tile sampling introduces random offsets in both phase and sample timing. MTS resolves this by employing: – A common reference clock distributed across tiles. – A SYSREF signal, which establishes deterministic alignment points.
Key Outcomes of MTS
By ensuring all ADC and DAC channels operate with coherent timing, MTS forms the basis for beamforming, correlation, and phase-sensitive processing.
Why Multi-Tile Synchronization Matters and Relevance?
MTS is fundamental for RF systems that demand channel-to-channel coherence:
Technical Validation of MTS with iWave’s RF Analyzer Demo
To demonstrate MTS in practice, iWave validated synchronization on its iW-RainboW-G42P Development Platform, powered by the ZU49DR RFSoC System on Module. Using the AMD RF Analyzer software, the demo confirmed channel alignment across multiple DAC and ADC tiles.
Accessories Used
Software Used
Test Setup
SMA cables connection procedure:
| Pair | DAC | SMA | BALUN Bandwidth | SMA Cable | ADC | SMA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAC0 | J46 | 10MHz to 3GHz | 141-12SM+ | ADC0 | J21 |
| 2 | DAC4 | J46 | 10MHz to 3GHz | 141-12SM+ | ADC4 | J18 |
| 3 | DAC8 | J34 | 10MHz to 3GHz | 141-12SM+ | ADC8 | J26 |
| 4 | DAC12 | J42 | 10MHz to 3GHz | 141-12SM+ | ADC12 | J27 |
RF Loopback Connections
Follow the SMA cables loopback connections as per the below image
SMA Cables Loopback Connection
4 ADC Channels are not in Sync
4 ADC Channels are in Sync
The before-and-after comparison clearly demonstrated the impact of MTS. Initially misaligned channels became tightly synchronized after enabling MTS on both DAC and ADC tiles. The results validated:
This practical validation highlights how iWave’s SoM platforms and AMD’s RF Analyzer environment provide engineers with a straightforward way to evaluate and leverage MTS in real-world applications. Watch the complete step-by-step RF Analyzer demo on our YouTube.
iWave platforms extend MTS from device-level validation to production-scale systems by providing:
iWave’s ZU49DR SoM platform and RF Analyzer validation confirm the feasibility of achieving sub-sample channel alignment, critical for beamforming, MIMO, and correlation-based applications.
Through engineered SoMs, carrier boards, and system-level synchronization expertise, iWave accelerates the deployment of synchronized RF systems from prototyping to production.
For more information on iWave’s RFSoC solutions and synchronization capabilities, contact mktg@iwave-global.com.
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