A 3GSps 12-bit Four-Channel Time-Interleaved Pipelined ADC in 40 nm CMOS Process

Abstract

This paper presents a four-channel time-interleaved 3GSps 12-bit pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The combination of master clock sampling and delay-adjusting is adopted to remove the time skew due to channel mismatches. An early comparison scheme is used to minimize the non-overlapping time, where a custom-designed latch is developed to replace the typical non-overlapping clock generator. By using the dither capacitor to generate an equivalent direct current input, a zero-input-based calibration is developed to correct the capacitor mismatch and inter-stage gain error. Fabricated in a 40 nm CMOS process, the ADC achieves a signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 57.8 dB and a spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of 72 dB with a 23 MHz input tone. It can achieve an SNDR above 52.3 dB and an SFDR above 61.5 dB across the entire first Nyquist zone. The differential and integral nonlinearities are −0.93/+0.73 least significant bit (LSB) and −2.8/+4.3 LSB, respectively. The ADC consumes 450 mW powered at 1.8V, occupies an active area of 3 mm × 1.3 mm. The calculated Walden figure of merit reaches 0.44 pJ/step.