ADC Calibration with Stored Error Data for Accurate Digital Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Analog-to-digital converters in semiconductor integrated circuits face errors due to manufacturing process characteristics, leading to inaccuracies in digital signal conversion, and existing calibration methods require additional hardware or design changes, increasing design overhead and cost.
Innovation Solution
A method to calibrate analog-to-digital converters by measuring and storing gain and offset errors during manufacturing, using existing hardware configurations, allowing for accurate digital code generation without additional design changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If calibration methods are implemented to reduce errors in digital code generation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional hardware requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The ADC performs self-calibration by measuring its own gain and offset errors through internal test modes and automatically applying correction factors to calibrated digital codes, eliminating the need for external calibration hardware or manual adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
Gain and offset errors are measured and correction factors are calculated in advance during manufacturing testing, and the results are stored in non-volatile memory for later use during normal operation, preventing errors before they affect production output
2Manufacturing precision
If additional hardware is added for calibration purposes, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to increased design overhead and cost
Solution Approach 1:
Existing ADC hardware components are designed to perform multiple functions: normal signal conversion during operation and self-calibration during test modes, eliminating the need for separate dedicated calibration hardware and reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration system uses the ADC's own existing infrastructure (signal paths, digital processing units, and memory) to perform self-diagnosis and self-correction, rather than requiring external calibration equipment or additional specialized components
Data Source
AI summary
In a method of operating an analog-to-digital converter, a gain error and an offset error that are associated with a digital code generated from the analog-to-digital converter are obtained by performing a first analog-to-digital conversion on a first input analog signal. The gain error and the offset error are stored. A calibration digital code is generated by performing a second analog-to-digital conversion on a second input analog signal based on the gain error and the offset error.