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Design >> Mixed-Signal Design >> ADC simulation/spec characterization
https://designers-guide.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1107591111

Message started by jay on Feb 5^th, 2005, 12:11am

Title: ADC simulation/spec characterization
Post by jay on Feb 5^th, 2005, 12:11am

Can you guys recommend a good reference on ADC simulation/full spec characterization? Many thanks!

Title: Re: ADC simulation/spec characterization
Post by ywguo on Feb 7^th, 2005, 7:16am

Hi, Jay,

Go to www.maxim-ic.com. There are some very good application note about ADC testing.

Best wishes
Yawei

Title: Re: ADC simulation/spec characterization
Post by jay on Feb 7^th, 2005, 9:36am

ywguo wrote on Feb 7^th, 2005, 7:16am:

Hi, Jay,

Go to www.maxim-ic.com. There are some very good application note about ADC testing.

Best wishes
Yawei

Hi, Yawei, I looked around maxim's web site. Looks like they only have actual ADC measurement test bench. Could you reommend some spectre/hspice simulation test benches? I'm not quite sure on the simulation setup for specs like INL, DNL, SFDR etc.
many thanks,
Jay

Title: Re: ADC simulation/spec characterization
Post by Leyman on Feb 19^th, 2005, 1:09am

Hi Jay,

I was happened to do the same task as you are. For a start, I would suggest you to read some articles on ADC characteristics i.e. DC and AC Performance. There are few website that provides excellent explanation on this.
You can go to:
http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes10.cfm/ac_pk/2
https://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ee247/fa04/fa04/lectures/L11_f04.pdf
http://larc.ee.nthu.edu.tw/~jcbor/MMWirelessIC/MMWIC_lecture32_C3a.pdf

There are a lot more if you try google search engine. The ADC characteristics should includes Dynamic Range, SFDR,SNR,THD,INL,DNL,Offset gain error etc....
These information should give you good starting point.

Then try to read HSpice manual on how to perform Fast Fourier Transform FFT plot. This analysis should give information about AC performance such as Spurious Free Dynamic Range, SNR, noise floor and etc.

For DC performance such as INL,DNL, Im not sure how to simulate using HSpice. But you can use matlab for this purpose...(I guess its much more faster).

HSpice Manual - http://www.utdallas.edu/~poras/courses/ee6325/lab/hspice/hspice_qrg.pdf

Title: Re: ADC simulation/spec characterization
Post by ywguo on Feb 20^th, 2005, 6:05am

Jay,

I estimated the static and dynamic parameters using the method that MAXIM proposed to measure real ADCs in lab. But the matlab program presented on MAXIM's website are for data sampled using a logic analyzer. The transient simulation is printed using .print card in HSPICE. Then the simulation results are read and convert to decimal digits using some programs I had written before.

Good luck!

Yawei

Title: Re: ADC simulation/spec characterization
Post by sheldon on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 10:16pm

Jay,

In the CADENCE ICX reference ahdl library, there are a dnl
and an inl testbench modules. The current models are rather
limited, for example, 8 bit, single-ended ADCs. However, it is
easy to modify the cells. In an append to another e-mail
thread, an example of a testbench setup for SFDR
was discussed. The same testbench can be used for
measuring THD. However, unless you are performing
transient noise sumulation or are including noise in a
behavioral model and simulating, the SNR simulation is
going to measure the ADC quantitazation noise floor, (not
very interesting).

Best Regards,

Art Schaldenbrand

Title: Re: ADC simulation/spec characterization
Post by jay on Feb 23^rd, 2005, 9:20pm

Thank you all, Leyman, yawei and Art.
I think I got decent understanding on those concepts. Also, I've already had some experience with DFT/FFT simulation with spectre, so I wouldn't worry about that too.

Art and Yawei's info is very useful. I was thinking to use matlab for post-simulation processing. But as Art has pointed out the inl/dnl modules, I'll try these first.

thanks again,

Jay