An analytical approach to the estimation of the spurious-free dynamic range in pipeline A/D converters

Spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) is one of the most important parameters of a pipelined analog-to-digital converter especially in applications such as software radios where high dynamic range is needed. In this paper a novel method to analytically determine the SFDR parameter of a pipelined ADC is presented. Using the proposed relationship, the required accuracy of the various residue-amplifier gain stages to satisfy a particular SFDR can be extracted. Such a relationship is extraordinarily useful for design automation of highly linear pipelined A/D converters. Behavioral simulations verify the accuracy of the proposed equation.