Characterization of dynamic nonlinearity in ADCs using wavelet networks

Dynamic nonlinear effects in the track-and-hold circuit contribute significantly to distortion in analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). This paper proposes a model for the characterization of non-linear dynamic effects of a T/H-ADC device by employing a mathematical approach based on wavelet networks (WN). Method effectiveness is demonstrated by validating the model on ADS5483, a 16-bit, 135 MSPS ADC from Texas Instruments. The proposed model is able to predict the harmonic distortion of the ADC in the first three Nyquist zones, at all amplitudes ranging from -1 dbFS to -45 dBFS.