Blind adaptive equalization of mismatch errors in a time-interleaved A/D converter system

To significantly increase the sampling rate of an A/D converter (ADC), a time-interleaved ADC system is a good option. The drawback of a time-interleaved ADC system is that the ADCs are not exactly identical due to errors in the manufacturing process. This means that time, gain, and offset mismatch errors are introduced in the ADC system. These errors cause distortion in the sampled signal. In this paper, we present a method for estimation and compensation of the mismatch errors. The estimation method requires no knowledge about the input signal except that it should be bandlimited to the Nyquist frequency for the complete ADC system. This means that the errors can be estimated while the ADC is running. The method is also adaptive to slow changes in the mismatch errors. The estimation method has been validated with simulations and measurements from a time-interleaved ADC system.