Analog Devices RF Frequency Synthesizers and Microwave Up/Down Converters
A collection of Analog Devices RF and microwave chips: phase-locked loop frequency synthesizers (such as the ADF4350, ADF4351, and ADF4377) and microwave up/down converter mixers (such as the ADMV1013 and ADRF6780). They are used in wireless base stations, test and measurement instruments, radar and electronic warfare gear, and other industrial RF systems.
recommendation
It should stay in the kernel because the hardware is still actively sold by Analog Devices, with several parts marked "Recommended for New Designs" in 2025, and the drivers are receiving real maintenance: both newer chips like the ADF4377 and older ones like the ADF4350 saw upstream fixes and cleanups in early 2026. The directory covers multiple distinct chips, so there is no single newer driver that could replace it.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Recent upstream maintenance exists for this directory family: adf4377 saw non-treewide driver cleanup work in February 2026.
- lore.kernel.org
adf4377 also received a functional fix in January 2026, indicating active bug-fix traffic rather than abandonment.
- lore.kernel.org
adf4350 received driver-specific changes in March 2026, showing continued attention on older chips in the directory too.
- analog.com
Analog Devices lists ADF4351 as 'Recommended for New Designs', supporting that at least part of the family is still sold for new hardware.
- analog.com
Analog Devices lists ADF4377 as 'Recommended for New Designs', showing current-market relevance for newer synthesizers covered here.
- analog.com
Analog Devices lists ADMV1013 as 'Recommended for New Designs', indicating ongoing availability of the microwave converter side of the directory.
- analog.com
Analog Devices lists ADRF6780 as 'Recommended for New Designs', reinforcing continued deployment in RF/microwave equipment.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Real driver directory with 9 chip-specific IIO drivers. Lore evidence was obtained with mcp__lore_http__.lore_activity on drivers/iio/frequency/adf4377.c and adf4350.c; both showed 2025-2026 driver-specific fixes/cleanups and no sign of removal traffic. A lore_file_timeline call on the directory path returned no aggregate hits, likely because the index keys files rather than directories, so file-level lore activity was used instead. Deployment evidence was obtained via web search on official analog.com product pages; multiple supported chips are still marked 'Recommended for New Designs'. The hardware is niche but still relevant in wireless infrastructure, instrumentation, radar/EW, and industrial RF systems. No natural single replacement driver exists because the directory covers multiple distinct Analog Devices parts.