An analog signal interface with constant performance for SoCs

This paper describes a new architecture for programmable analog interface circuits. One of the main consequences of analog programmability is the performance penalty introduced by this feature. The proposed new architecture attenuates the programmability penalty and, even more important, it provides constant performance over a wide range of input signal band. Using a mixer inside the proposed architecture, we propose an analog programmable interface that can process signals from DC to high frequencies with constant performance, overcoming the need to change the architecture as a function of the target domain application. This paper presents the mathematical framework and experimental results showing the proposed architecture applied to linear filter design over a large frequency range.