Design of a quantum-based oversampling delta-sigma analogue-to-digital converter for metrology applications

Oversampling delta-sigma (Δ-Σ) analogue-to-digital converters (ADCs) are increasingly used in instrumentation applications. The main characteristic of the Δ-Σ ADC is that an increase in the oversampling ratio of the input signal and/or the number of integrators used in the analogue part can increase the signal-to-quantisation-noise ratio as desired, when sufficient digital filtering is applied. A quantum-based architecture is proposed, suitable for DC and low-frequency metrology applications such as spectrum analysis, voltage and power measurements. Simulated and preliminary experimental results from the proposed converter are given.