This book presents the a scientific discussion of the state-of-the-art techniques and designs for modeling, testing and for the performance analysis of data converters. The focus is put on sustainable data conversion. Sustainability has become a public issue that industries and users can not ignore. Devising environmentally friendly solutions for data conversion designing, modeling and testing is nowadays a requirement that researchers and practitioners must consider in their activities. This book presents the outcome of the IWADC workshop 2011, held in Orvieto, Italy.
Data converters are a particularly important class of mixed-signal circuit. Their performance improves with time, driven by market forces leading to developments in design and manufacturing processes. Device testing, however, is becoming a bottleneck as available tester resources are limited in terms of accuracy when test time is limited. Model-based testing has been proposed to address this problem. In chapter 2 of this thesis, we demonstrate model-based testing for a 12-bit DAC, following an algorithm originally proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which marks the starting point of the work. We identify shortcomings with the NIST algorithm and open questions that are addressed in the remainder of the thesis. Based on the experience with DAC modeling, we apply our refined modeling procedures to a 12-bit ADC in Chapter 3. For this device, we demonstrate advantages and discuss trade-offs when model-based testing is applied in a production test environment. In a trial run, testing two wafer lots of devices, the robustness of the model is demonstrated in the presence of significant manufacturing process drifts. The choice of test conditions is discussed in Chapter 4. Experimental evidence is given that a test condition which yields more precise model parameter estimates is advantageous. In the example, the same condition is used for another test performed on the devices; thus, measurements can be shared between both tests. The idea is taken further towards Design-for-Testability considerations and towards Design-for-Test, reducing measurement accuracy limitations that are encountered for high-resolution data converters. In Chapter 5, test point selection strategies are discussed. In particular, structural faults are considered, and a novel test point selection algorithm is developed to cover hard-faults. This algorithm yields a single set of test points that provides hard-fault coverage as well as serving the model-based device parameter extraction that is a cornerstone of the test effort reduction technique based on linear modeling. In Chapter 6, we apply the modeling techniques developed previously to characterize the influence of the manufacturing process on device performance. In this application, we exploit design information that was used to form the a priori model. Certain types of design changes can be accommodated in this model and the performance of a re-design can be predicted. We consider re-sizing of circuit elements and digital calibration techniques as examples of possible re-designs.
This text presents the design of data converters for emerging standards and introduces the underlying circuit design principles. It is an excellent reference for IC and mixed signal designers, design managers and project leaders in industry, particularly those in the wireless semiconductor industry.
Need to get up to speed quickly on the latest advances in high performance data converters? Want help choosing the best architecture for your application? With everything you need to know about the key new converter architectures, this guide is for you. It presents basic principles, circuit and system design techniques and associated trade-offs, doing away with lengthy mathematical proofs and providing intuitive descriptions upfront. Everything from time-to-digital converters to comparator-based/zero-crossing ADCs is covered and each topic is introduced with a short summary of the essential basics. Practical examples describing actual chips, along with extensive comparison between architectural or circuit options, ease architecture selection and help you cut design time and engineering risk. Trade-offs, advantages and disadvantages of each option are put into perspective with a discussion of future trends, showing where this field is heading, what is driving it and what the most important unanswered questions are.
Ocean wave energy converter technology continues to advance and new developers continue to emerge, leading to the need for a general design, modeling, and testing methodology. This work presents a development of the process of taking a wave energy converter from a concept to the prototype stage. A two body heaving point absorber representing a generic popular design was chosen and a general procedure is presented showing the process to model a wave energy converter in the frequency and time domains. A scaled prototype of an autonomous small scale wave energy converter was designed, built, and tested and provided data for model validation. The result is a guide that new developers can adapt to their particular design and wave conditions, which will provide a path toward a cost of energy estimate. This will serve the industry by providing sound methodology to accelerate the continued development of wave energy converters.
Thoroughly revised and expanded to help readers systematically increase their knowledge and insight about Sigma-Delta Modulators Sigma-Delta Modulators (SDMs) have become one of the best choices for the implementation of analog/digital interfaces of electronic systems integrated in CMOS technologies. Compared to other kinds of Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs), Σ∆Ms cover one of the widest conversion regions of the resolution-versus-bandwidth plane, being the most efficient solution to digitize signals in an increasingly number of applications, which span from high-resolution low-bandwidth digital audio, sensor interfaces, and instrumentation, to ultra-low power biomedical systems and medium-resolution broadband wireless communications. Following the spirit of its first edition, Sigma-Delta Converters: Practical Design Guide, 2nd Edition takes a comprehensive look at SDMs, their diverse types of architectures, circuit techniques, analysis synthesis methods, and CAD tools, as well as their practical design considerations. It compiles and updates the current research reported on the topic, and explains the multiple trade-offs involved in the whole design flow of Sigma-Delta Modulators—from specifications to chip implementation and characterization. The book follows a top-down approach in order to provide readers with the necessary understanding about recent advances, trends, and challenges in state-of-the-art Σ∆Ms. It makes more emphasis on two key points, which were not treated so deeply in the first edition: It includes a more detailed explanation of Σ∆Ms implemented using Continuous-Time (CT) circuits, going from system-level synthesis to practical circuit limitations. It provides more practical case studies and applications, as well as a deeper description of the synthesis methodologies and CAD tools employed in the design of Σ∆ converters. Sigma-Delta Converters: Practical Design Guide, 2nd Edition serves as an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate students in electrical engineering as well as design engineers working on SD data-converters, who are looking for a uniform and self-contained reference in this hot topic. With this goal in mind, and based on the feedback received from readers, the contents have been revised and structured to make this new edition a unique monograph written in a didactical, pedagogical, and intuitive style.
