A Reproducible FPGA-ADC Synchronization Architecture for High-Speed Data Acquisition

High-speed data acquisition systems based on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) often face synchronization challenges when interfacing with commercial analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), particularly under constrained hardware routing conditions and vendor-specific clocking assumptions. This work presents a vendor-independent FPGA–ADC synchronization architecture that enables reliable and repeatable high-speed data acquisition without relying on clock-capable input resources. Clock and frame signals are internally reconstructed and phase-aligned within the FPGA using mixed-mode clock management (MMCM) and input serializer/deserializer (ISERDES) resources, enabling time-sequential phase observation without the need for parallel snapshot or delay-line structures. Rather than targeting absolute metrological limits, the proposed approach emphasizes a reproducible and transparent data acquisition methodology applicable across heterogeneous FPGA–ADC platforms, in which clock synchronization is treated as a system-level design parameter affecting digital interface timing integrity and data reproducibility. Experimental validation using a custom Kintex-7 (XC7K325T) FPGA and an AFE7225 ADC demonstrates stable synchronization at sampling rates of up to 125 MS/s, with frequency-offset tolerance determined by the phase-tracking capability of the internal MMCM-based alignment loop. Consistent signal acquisition is achieved over the 100 kHz–20 MHz frequency range. The measured interface level timing uncertainty remains below 10 ps RMS, confirming robust clock and frame alignment. Meanwhile, the observed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance, exceeding 80 dB, reflects the phase–noise-limited measurement quality of the system. The proposed architecture provides a cost-effective, scalable, and reproducible solution for experimental and research-oriented FPGA-based data acquisition systems operating under practical hardware constraints.