17 research outputs found
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A 90.5dB DR 1MHz BW Hybrid Two Step ADC with CT Incremental and SAR ADCs
The sensors in real time data processing IoT devices require high resolution and sub-MHz data converters, usually implemented as Incremental ADCs due to the advantages of oversampling technique and low latency. In discrete time incremental (IDT) ADCs, the sampling switch non-linearity, charge injection degrade the resolution, and power hungry OPAMPs are demanded to provide fast and accurate settling for the switch-capacitor circuits. While the continuous time incremental (ICT) ADCs overcome these issues by removing the sampling switches and it also relax the OPAMPs settling accuracy to save power. A hybrid architecture of ICT ADC and SAR two step ADC is proposed to achieve high resolution at low oversampling ratio (OSR). The first ICT ADCs enable higher resolution, faster conversion speed with lower power consumption. The residual error of the ICT ADC is extracted at the last integrator output and transfers to the 2nd SAR for further conversion. In this architecture, only the mismatch between the cascade of integrators (CoIs) and decimation filter transfer functions causes 1st stage quantization noise leakage which can be solved by increasing opamp parameters instead of increasing the digital decimation filter complexity. In addition, the overall SQNR is independent of the first ICT ADC’s NTF, which gives more freedom to trade-off between the loop stability and DAC errors. A 4bits DRZ DAC with data weighted averaging (DWA) technique is adopted to reduce the clock jitter of DAC, mitigate ISI error and static mismatch errors. Based on this architecture, a 16b resolution, 1MHz signal bandwidth hybrid two step ADC is designed and measurement results are demonstrated. Important sub circuits are introduced and analyzed in detail to get the target resolution. The ADC is fabricated in AKM 180nm CMOS process with 1.8V supply voltage, it achieves a DR of 90.5dB, and SNR/SFDR/SNDR of 82.5dB/85dB/80.5dB over 1MHz BW sampled at 64MHz
Design of sigma-delta modulators for analog-to-digital conversion intensively using passive circuits
This thesis presents the analysis, design implementation and experimental evaluation of passiveactive discrete-time and continuous-time Sigma-Delta (ΣΔ) modulators (ΣΔMs) analog-todigital converters (ADCs).
Two prototype circuits were manufactured. The first one, a discrete-time 2nd-order ΣΔM, was designed in a 130 nm CMOS technology. This prototype confirmed the validity of the ultra incomplete settling (UIS) concept used for implementing the passive integrators. This circuit, clocked at 100 MHz and consuming 298 μW, achieves DR/SNR/SNDR of 78.2/73.9/72.8 dB, respectively, for a signal bandwidth of 300 kHz. This results in a Walden FoMW of 139.3 fJ/conv.-step and Schreier FoMS of 168 dB.
The final prototype circuit is a highly area and power efficient ΣΔM using a combination of a cascaded topology, a continuous-time RC loop filter and switched-capacitor feedback paths. The modulator requires only two low gain stages that are based on differential pairs. A systematic design methodology based on genetic algorithm, was used, which allowed decreasing the circuit’s sensitivity to the circuit components’ variations. This continuous-time, 2-1 MASH ΣΔM has been designed in a 65 nm CMOS technology and it occupies an area of just 0.027 mm2. Measurement results show that this modulator achieves a peak SNR/SNDR of 76/72.2 dB and DR of 77dB for an input signal bandwidth of 10 MHz, while dissipating 1.57 mW from a 1 V power supply voltage. The ΣΔM achieves a Walden FoMW of 23.6 fJ/level and a Schreier FoMS of 175 dB. The innovations proposed in this circuit result, both, in the reduction of the power consumption and of the chip size. To the best of the author’s knowledge the circuit achieves the lowest Walden FOMW for ΣΔMs operating at signal bandwidth from 5 MHz to 50 MHz reported to date
Design of Highly Efficient Analog-To-Digital Converters
The demand of higher data rates in communication systems is reflected in the constant evolution of communication standards. LTE-A and WiFi 802.11ac promote the use of carrier aggregation to increase the data rate of a wireless receiver. Recent DTV receivers promote the concept of full band capture to avoid the implementation of complex analog operations such as: filtering, equalization, modulation/demodulation, etc. All these operations can be implemented in a robust manner in the digital domain. Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) are located at the heart of such architectures and require to have larger bandwidths and higher dynamic ranges. However, at higher data rates the power efficiency of ADCs tends to degrade. Moreover, while the scale of channel length in CMOS devices directly benefits the power, speed and area of digital circuits, analog circuits suffer from lower intrinsic gain and higher device mismatch. Thus, it has been difficult to design high-speed ADCs with low-power operation using traditional architectures without relying on increasingly complex digital calibration algorithms.
This research presents three ADCs that introduce novel architectures to relax the specifications of the analog circuits and reduce the complexity of the digital calibration algorithms. A low-pass sigma delta ADC with 15 MHz of bandwidth is introduced. The system uses a low-power 7-bit quantizer from which the four most significant bits are used for the operation of the sigma delta ADC. The remaining three least significant bits are used for the realization of a frequency domain algorithm for quantization noise improvement. The prototype was implemented in 130 nm CMOS technology. For this prototype, the use of the 7-bit quantizer and algorithm improved the SNDR from 69 dB to 75 dB. The obtained FoM was 145 fJ/conversion-step.
In a second project, the problem of high power consumption demanded from closed loop operational amplifiers operating at Giga hertz frequency is addressed. Especially the dependency of the power consumption to the closed loop gain. This project presents a low-pass sigma delta ADC with 75 MHz bandwidth. The traditional summing amplifier used for excess loop compensation delay is substituted by a summing amplifier with current buffer that decouples the power consumption dependency with the closed loop gain. The prototype was designed in 40 nm CMOS technology achieving 64.9 dB peak SNDR. The operating frequency was 3.2 GHz, the total power consumption was 22 mW and FoM of 106 fJ/conversion-step.
In a third project, the same approach of decoupling the power consumption requirements from the closed loop gain is applied to a pipelined ADC. The traditional capacitive multiplying DAC used in the residual amplifier is substituted by a current mode DAC and a transimpedance amplifier. The prototype was implemented in 40 nm CMOS technology achieving 58 dB peak SNDR and 76 dB SFDR with 200 MHz sampling frequency. The ADC consumes 8.4 mW with a FoM of 64 fJ/Conversion-step
Multi-Stage Noise-Shaping Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulator
The design of a single-loop continuous-time ∑∆ modulator (CT∑∆M) with high resolution, wide bandwidth, and low power consumption is very challenging. The multi-stage noise-shaping (MASH) CT∑∆M architecture is identified as an advancement to the single-loop CT∑∆M architecture in order to satisfy the ever stringent requirements of next generation wireless systems. However, it suffers from the problems of quantization noise leakage and non-ideal interstage interfacing which hinder its widespread adoption. To solve these issues, this dissertation proposes a MASH CT∑∆M with on-chip RC time constant calibration circuits, multiple feedforward interstage paths, and a fully integrated noise cancellation filter (NCF).
The prototype core modulator architecture is a cascade of two single-loop second- order CT∑∆M stages, each of which consists of an integrator-based active-RC loop filter, current-steering feedback digital-to-analog converters, and a four-bit flash quantizer. On-chip RC time constant calibration circuits and high gain multi-stage operational amplifiers are realized to mitigate quantization noise leakage due to process variation. Multiple feedforward interstage paths are introduced to (i) synthesize a fourth-order noise transfer function with DC zeros, (ii) simplify the design of NCF, and (iii) reduce signal swings at the second-stage integrator outputs. Fully integrated in 40 nm CMOS, the prototype chip achieves 74.4 dB of signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR), 75.8 dB of signal-to-noise ratio, and 76.8 dB of dynamic range in 50.3 MHz of bandwidth (BW) at 1 GHz of sampling frequency with 43.0 mW of power consumption (P). It does not require external software calibration and possesses minimal out-of-band signal transfer function peaking. The figure-of-merit (FOM), defined as FOM = SNDR + 10 log10(BW/P), is 165.1 dB
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Design Techniques for Wide-bandwidth Continuous-time Delta-sigma Modulators with Noise-shaping Quantizers
Noise-shaping multibit quantizers in a ΔΣ modulator offer extra orders of noise shaping without increasing the loop-filter order and without compromising the stability of the modulator. This dissertation presents two new architectures for improving the overall performance of continuous-time ΔΣ modulators using noise-shaped quantizers.
The first modulator architecture is motivated towards achieving high sampling frequencies using a VCO quantizer. The VCO based quantizer provides the benefits of first-order noise shaping, inherent DWA, and high sampling frequencies but suffers from a highly nonlinear voltage-to-frequency transfer characteristic leading to performance degradation. In this work, a dual-path VCO quantizer nonlinearity cancellation technique is proposed that improves the overall modulator performance by cancelling the VCO quantizer non-linearity. The prototype modulator fabricated in a 65 nm CMOS technology achieves 76.1 dB DR, 73.5 dB SNDR and 88 dB SFDR over a 50 MHz signal bandwidth with an OSR of 15 and 51.8 mW of power.
The second modulator architecture, on the other hand, achieves 2nd order noise shaping from the quantizer itself, thus, reducing the needed loop-filter order by two and saving on active RC-OTA based integrator power. This new SAR-VCO based hybrid quantizer solves the VCO quantizer nonlinearity issue and also provides second order noise shaping. By using this SAR-VCO quantizer as an internal quantizer in a 2nd order ΔΣ loop, 4th order noise shaping is achieved using only two OTAs. The pipeline operation of the SAR quantizer and the VCO quantizer makes the delay of the hybrid quantizer equal to the delay of the SAR quantizer only. This reduces the excess-loop-delay introduced by the quantizer when used in a ΔΣ loop. Also, the quantization error leakage due to gain mismatch between the SAR path and the VCO path in the quantizer is noise shaped. The prototype modulator fabricated in a 65 nm CMOS process achieves 83 dB DR, 80 dB SNDR and 84 dB SFDR for a 12 MHz signal bandwidth with an OSR of 25 and 16.5 mW of power
A 8 mW 72 dB Sigma Delta-modulator ADC with 2.4 MHz BW in 130 nm CMOS
A double-sampling sigma delta-ADC with bilinear integrators and a 7-level quantizer is presented. It achieves third order noise shaping with a second order modulator through quantization noise-coupling. The modulator is integrated in a 130 nm CMOS technology. For a clock frequency of 48 MHz and an oversampling ratio of 20 (2.4 MHz signal bandwidth), it achieves 72 dB DR and 68 dB SNR. The prototype consumes 8 mW from a 1.2 V voltage supply
Architectural Alternatives to Implement High-Performance Delta-Sigma Modulators
RÉSUMÉ Le besoin d’appareils portatifs, de téléphones intelligents et de systèmes microélectroniques implantables médicaux s’accroît remarquablement. Cependant, l’optimisation de l’alimentation de tous ces appareils électroniques portables est l’un des principaux défis en raison du manque de piles à grande capacité utilisées pour les alimenter. C’est un fait bien établi que le convertisseur analogique-numérique (CAN) est l’un des blocs les plus critiques de ces appareils et qu’il doit convertir efficacement les signaux analogiques au monde numérique pour effectuer un post-traitement tel que l’extraction de caractéristiques. Parmi les différents types de CAN, les modulateurs Delta Sigma (��M) ont été utilisés dans ces appareils en raison des fonctionnalités alléchantes qu’ils offrent. En raison du suréchantillonnage et pour éloigner le bruit de la bande d’intérêt, un CAN haute résolution peut être obtenu avec les architectures ��. Il offre également un compromis entre la fréquence d’échantillonnage et la résolution, tout en offrant une architecture programmable pour réaliser un CAN flexible. Ces CAN peuvent être implémentés avec des blocs analogiques de faible précision. De plus, ils peuvent être efficacement optimisés au niveau de l’architecture et circuits correspondants. Cette dernière caractéristique a été une motivation pour proposer différentes architectures au fil des ans. Cette thèse contribue à ce sujet en explorant de nouvelles architectures pour optimiser la structure ��M en termes de résolution, de consommation d’énergie et de surface de silicium. Des soucis particuliers doivent également être pris en compte pour faciliter la mise en œuvre du ��M. D’autre part, les nouveaux procédés CMOS de conception et fabrication apportent des améliorations remarquables en termes de vitesse, de taille et de consommation d’énergie lors de la mise en œuvre de circuits numériques. Une telle mise à l’échelle agressive des procédés, rend la conception de blocs analogiques tel que un amplificateur de transconductance opérationnel (OTA), difficile. Par conséquent, des soins spéciaux sont également pris en compte dans cette thèse pour surmonter les problèmes énumérés. Ayant mentionné ci-dessus que cette thèse est principalement composée de deux parties principales. La première concerne les nouvelles architectures implémentées en mode de tension et la seconde partie contient une nouvelle architecture réalisée en mode hybride tension et temps.----------ABSTRACT The need for hand-held devices, smart-phones and medical implantable microelectronic sys-tems, is remarkably growing up. However, keeping all these electronic devices power optimized is one of the main challenges due to the lack of long life-time batteries utilized to power them up. It is a well-established fact that analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is one of the most critical building blocks of such devices and it needs to efficiently convert analog signals to the digital world to perform post processing such as channelizing, feature extraction, etc. Among various type of ADCs, Delta Sigma Modulators (��Ms) have been widely used in those devices due to the tempting features they offer. In fact, due to oversampling and noise-shaping technique a high-resolution ADC can be achieved with �� architectures. It also offers a compromise between sampling frequency and resolution while providing a highly-programmable approach to realize an ADC. Moreover, such ADCs can be implemented with low-precision analog blocks. Last but not the least, they are capable of being effectively power optimized at both architectural and circuit levels. The latter has been a motivation to proposed different architectures over the years.This thesis contributes to this topic by exploring new architectures to effectively optimize the ��M structure in terms of resolution, power consumption and chip area. Special cares must also be taken into account to ease the implementation of the ��M. On the other hand, advanced node CMOS processes bring remarkable improvements in terms of speed, size and power consumption while implementing digital circuits. Such an aggressive process scaling, however, make the design of analog blocks, e.g. operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs), cumbersome. Therefore, special cares are also taken into account in this thesis to overcome the mentioned issues. Having had above mentioned discussion, this thesis is mainly split in two main categories. First category addresses new architectures implemented in a pure voltage domain and the second category contains new architecture realized in a hybrid voltage and time domain. In doing so, the thesis first focuses on a switched-capacitor implementation of a ��M while presenting an architectural solution to overcome the limitations of the previous approaches. This limitations include a power hungry adder in a conventional feed-forward topology as well as power hungry OTAs
Oversampled analog-to-digital converter architectures based on pulse frequency modulation
Mención Internacional en el tÃtulo de doctorThe purpose of this research work is providing new insights in the development
of voltage-controlled oscillator based analog-to-digital converters (VCO-based
ADCs). Time-encoding based ADCs have become of great interest to the designer
community due to the possibility of implementing mostly digital circuits,
which are well suited for current deep-submicron CMOS processes. Within this
topic, VCO-based ADCs are one of the most promising candidates.
VCO-based ADCs have typically been analyzed considering the output phase
of the oscillator as a state variable, similar to the state variables considered in __
modulation loops. Although this assumption might take us to functional designs
(as verified by literature), it does not take into account neither the oscillation
parameters of the VCO nor the deterministic nature of quantization noise. To
overcome this issue, we propose an interpretation of these type of systems based
on the pulse frequency modulation (PFM) theory. This permits us to analytically
calculate the quantization noise, in terms of the working parameters of the system.
We also propose a linear model that applies to VCO-based systems. Thanks to
it, we can determine the different error processes involved in the digitization of
the input data, and the performance limitations which these processes direct to.
A generic model for any order open-loop VCO-based ADCs is made based on the
PFM theory. However, we will see that only the first-order case and a second order
approximation can be implemented in practice. The PFM theory also
allows us to propose novel approaches to both single-stage and multistage VCObased
architectures. We describe open-loop architectures such as VCO-based
architectures with digital precoding, PFM-based architectures that can be used
as efficient ADCs or MASH architectures with optimal noise-transfer-function
(NTF) zeros. We also make a first approach to the proposal and analysis of closed loop
architectures. At the same time, we deal with one of the main limitations of
VCOs (especially those built with ring oscillators), which is the non-linear voltage to-
frequency relation. In this document, we describe two techniques mitigate this
phenomenon.
Firstly, we propose to use a pulse width modulator in front of the VCO. This
way, there are only two possible oscillation states. Consequently, the oscillator
works linearly. To validate the proposed technique, an experimental prototype
was implemented in a 40-nm CMOS process. The chip showed noise problems
that degraded the expected resolution, but allowed us to verify that the potential
performance was close to the expected one. A potential signal-to-noise-distortion
ratio (SNDR) equal to 56 dB was achieved in 20 MHz bandwidth, consuming
2.15 mW with an occupied area equal to 0.03 mm2. In comparison to other equivalent systems, the proposed architecture is simpler, while keeping similar
power consumption and linearity properties.
Secondly, we used a pulse frequency modulator to implement a second ADC.
The proposed architecture is intrinsically linear and uses a digital delay line to
increase the resolution of the converter. One experimental prototype was implemented
in a 40-nm CMOS process using one of these architectures. Proper results
were measured from this prototype. These results allowed us to verify that the
PFM-based architecture could be used as an efficient ADC. The measured peak
SNDR was equal to 53 dB in 20 MHz bandwidth, consuming 3.5 mW with an
occupied area equal to 0.08 mm2. The architecture shows a great linearity, and
in comparison to related work, it consumes less power and occupies similar area.
In general, the theoretical analyses and the architectures proposed in the
document are not restricted to any application. Nevertheless, in the case of the
experimental chips, the specifications required for these converters were linked to
communication applications (e.g. VDSL, VDSL2, or even G.fast), which means
medium resolution (9-10 bits), high bandwidth (20 MHz), low power and low
area.El propósito del trabajo presentado en este documento es aportar una nueva perspectiva
para el diseño de convertidores analógico-digitales basados en osciladores
controlados por tensión. Los convertidores analógico-digitales con codificación
temporal han llamado la atención durante los últimos años de la comunidad de
diseñadores debido a la posibilidad de implementarlos en su gran mayorÃa con
circuitos digitales, los cuales son muy apropiados para los procesos de diseño
manométricos. En este ámbito, los convertidores analógico-digitales basados en
osciladores controlados por tensión son uno de los candidatos más prometedores.
Los convertidores analógico-digitales basados en osciladores controlados por
tensión han sido tÃpicamente analizados considerando que la fase del oscilador
es una variable de estado similar a las que se observan en los moduladores __.
Aunque esta consideración puede llevarnos a diseños funcionales (como se puede
apreciar en muchos artÃculos de la literatura), en ella no se tiene en cuenta ni
los parámetros de oscilación ni la naturaleza determinÃstica del ruido de cuantificación. Para solventar esta cuestión, en este documento se propone una interpretación alternativa de este tipo de sistemas haciendo uso de la teorÃa de
la modulación por frecuencia de pulsos. Esto nos permite calcular de forma
analÃtica las ecuaciones que modelan el ruido de cuantificación en función de los
parámetros de oscilación. Se propone también un modelo lineal para el análisis de
convertidores analógico-digitales basados en osciladores controlados por tensión.
Este modelo permite determinar las diferentes fuentes de error que se producen
durante el proceso de digitalización de los datos de entrada y las limitaciones
que suponen. Un modelo genérico de convertidor de cualquier orden se propone
con la ayuda de este modelo. Sin embargo, solo los casos de primer orden y una
aproximación al caso de segundo orden se pueden implementar en la práctica.
La teorÃa de la modulación por frecuencia de pulsos también permite nuevas perspectivas
para la propuesta y el análisis tanto de arquitecturas de una sola etapa
como de arquitecturas de varias etapas construidas con osciladores controlados
por tensión. Se proponen y se describen arquitecturas en lazo abierto como son
las basadas en osciladores controlador por tensión con moduladores digitales en
la etapa de entrada, moduladores por frecuencia de pulsos que se utilizan como
convertidores analógico-digitales eficientes o arquitecturas en cascada en las que
se optimizan la distribución de los ceros en la función de transferencia del ruido.
También se realiza una aproximación a la propuesta y el análisis de arquitecturas
en lazo cerrado. Al mismo tiempo, se aborda una de las problemáticas más importantes
de los osciladores controlados por tensión (especialmente en aquellos
implementados mediante osciladores en anillo): la relación tensión-freculineal que presentan este tipo de circuitos. En el documento, se describen dos
técnicas cuyo objetivo es mitigar esta limitación.
La primera técnica de corrección se basa en el uso de un modulador por
ancho de pulsos antes del oscilador controlado por tensión. De esta forma, solo
existen dos estados de oscilación en el oscilador, se trabaja de forma lineal y
no se genera distorsión en los datos de salida. La técnica se propone de forma
teórica haciendo uso de la teorÃa desarrollada previamente. Para llevar a cabo
la validación de la propuesta teórica se fabricó un prototipo experimental en un
proceso CMOS de 40-nm. El chip mostró problemas de ruido que limitaban la
resolución, sin embargo, nos permitió velicar que la resolución ideal que se podrá
haber obtenido estaba muy cercana a la resolución esperada. Se obtuvo una
potencial relación señal-(ruido-distorsión) igual a 56 dB en 20 MHz de ancho de
banda, un consumo de 2.15 mW y un área igual a 0.03 mm2. En comparación con
sistemas equivalentes, la arquitectura propuesta es más simple al mismo tiempo
que se mantiene el consumo asà como la linealidad.
A continuación, se propone la implementación de un convertidor analógico digital
mediante un modulador por frecuencia de pulsos. La arquitectura propuesta
es intrÃnsecamente lineal y hace uso de una lÃnea de retraso digital con
el fin de mejorar la resolución del convertidor. Como parte del trabajo experimental,
se fabricó otro chip en tecnologÃa CMOS de 40 nm con dicha arquitectura,
de la que se obtuvieron resultados notables. Estos resultados permitieron
verificar que la arquitectura propuesta, en efecto, podrá emplearse como convertidor
analógico-digital eficiente. La arquitectura consigue una relación real
señal-(ruido-distorsión) igual a 53 dB en 20 MHz de ancho de banda, un consumo
de 3.5 mW y un área igual a 0.08 mm2. Se obtiene una gran linealidad y, en
comparación con arquitecturas equivalentes, el consumo es menor mientras que
el área ocupada se mantiene similar.
En general, las aportaciones propuestas en este documento se pueden aplicar a
cualquier tipo de aplicación, independientemente de los requisitos de resolución,
ancho de banda, consumo u área. Sin embargo, en el caso de los prototipos
fabricados, las especificaciones se relacionan con el ámbito de las comunicaciones
(VDSL, VDSL2, o incluso G.fast), en donde se requiere una resolución media
(9-10 bits), alto ancho de banda (20 MHz), manteniendo bajo consumo y baja
área ocupada.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en IngenierÃa Eléctrica, Electrónica y AutomáticaPresidente: Michael Peter Kennedy.- Secretario: Antonio Jesús López MartÃn.- Vocal: Jörg Hauptman