EMI insensitive reference current generation and distribution in an 8 bit current steering D/A converter in UMC 0.18 µm CMOS

This paper describes the electromagnetic susceptibility of an 8 bit current steered thermometer encoded digital to analog converter (DAC) when electromagnetic interference (EMI) is injected into its bias current generator circuit. A theoretical analysis is presented and illustrates how the immunity to EMI can be increased by observing two fundamental design guidelines: these derivations are corroborated with simulations using the UMC 0.18 μm CMOS process.