A behavioral representation for Nyquist rate A/D converters

The authors present a behavioral representation for the class of Nyquist rate A/D (analog-to-digital) converters. The representation captures the nominal A/D behavior as well as all the statistical variations. The variations are classified into noise and process variations according to how these nonidealities affect the A/D behavior. To describe noise effects a joint probability density function is used. To describe behavioral effects due to process variations, use is made of a variance-covariance matrix, Sigma /sub t/, which is a generalization of the integral nonlinearity vector. Sigma /sub t/´s rank characterizes the testability of an A/D; its decomposition yields efficient strategies for A/D testing. Finally, parameter extraction results obtained from prototypes are presented.<>