Asynchronous ADCs: Design Methodology and Case Study

E. Allier, G. Sicard, L. Fesquet, M. Renaudin
Abstract:
We present a new class of Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs), based on an irregular sampling of the analog signal, and an asynchronous design. Because these ADCs are not conventional, a design methodology is also presented. It determines their characteristics given the required Effective Number of Bits and the properties of the analog signal to convert. A prototype has been designed for speech applications, using the 0.18-µm CMOS technology from STMicroelectronics. Electrical simulations prove that the Figure of Merit (FoM) is increased by more than one order of magnitude compared to synchronous Nyquist ADCs.
Keywords:
Level-crossing sampling, Asynchronous design, Figure of Merit (FoM)
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IMEKO-IWADC-2003-08.pdf
DOI:
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