Advanced Modeling and Design Evaluation Procedure applied to Pipelined A/D Converter

Abstra ct – This paper deals with a prospective approach of modeling and design evaluation applied to pipelined A/D converter architecture. In contrast with conventional ADC modeling algorithms targeted to extract the maximum ADC non-linearity error, the innovative approach presented allows to decompose magnitudes of individual error sources from a measured or simulated response of an ADC device. This qualitative decomposition can significantly contribute to the ADC calibration procedure performed in term of integral and differential nonlinearity. This is backgrounded by the fact that the knowledge of ADC performance contributors provided by the proposed method helps to adjust the values of on-chip converter components so as to equalize (and possibly minimize) the total non-linearity error. In this paper, the design evaluation procedure is demonstrated on a system design example of pipelined A/D converter. Significant simulation results of each stage of the design evaluation process are given, starting from the INL performance extraction proceeded in a powerful Virtual Testing Environment implemented in MapleTM software and finishing by an error source simulation and modeling of pipelined ADC structure, suitable for a generic process flow.