A 16-channel, multi-level Time-to-Digital Converter for high precision ToF measurement

IF 1.9 3区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Microelectronics Journal Pub Date : 2025-04-12 DOI:10.1016/j.mejo.2025.106669

Ziwei Zhao , Ran Zheng , Jia Wang , Xiaomin Wei , Feifei Xue , Ruiguang Zhao , Yongcai Hu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

A 16-channel Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) with high precision and high linearity for time of flight (ToF) measurement is presented. The 3-level Nutt-based structure is employed in the proposed TDC to achieve high resolution and wide dynamic range simultaneously. A novel vernier measurement structure based on two Delay Locked Loops (DLLs) with different frequencies is proposed in this work, with which 10-ps resolution can be achieved with less jitter accumulation and moderate frequency. The proposed 16-channel TDC is implemented using 180-nm standard CMOS process with 1.8-V power supply. Under the operating clock frequencies of 240-MHz and 280-MHz, the TDC is realized with a resolution of 10.6-ps and a dynamic range of 1066-ns. According to testing results, the best single-shoot precision of 13.7-ps and good consistency among all channels can be observed. In asynchronous measurements, the maximum differential nonlinearity (DNL) and the integral nonlinearity (INL) are less than 0.5-LSB and 1-LSB respectively.

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用于高精度ToF测量的16通道，多级时间-数字转换器

提出了一种高精度、高线性度的16通道飞行时间数字转换器（TDC）。该TDC采用了基于nutt的3级结构，同时实现了高分辨率和宽动态范围。本文提出了一种基于两个不同频率的延迟锁环（DLLs）的游标测量结构，该结构可以在较小的抖动积累和中等频率下实现10-ps的分辨率。所提出的16通道TDC采用180纳米标准CMOS工艺和1.8 v电源实现。在240-MHz和280-MHz工作时钟频率下，TDC的分辨率为10.6 ps，动态范围为1066 ns。测试结果表明，单次射击精度最高为13.7 ps，各通道间一致性较好。在异步测量中，最大微分非线性（DNL）和积分非线性（INL）分别小于0.5 lsb和1 lsb。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Microelectronics Journal 工程技术-工程：电子与电气

CiteScore

4.00

自引率

27.30%

发文量

222

审稿时长

43 days

期刊介绍： Published since 1969, the Microelectronics Journal is an international forum for the dissemination of research and applications of microelectronic systems, circuits, and emerging technologies. Papers published in the Microelectronics Journal have undergone peer review to ensure originality, relevance, and timeliness. The journal thus provides a worldwide, regular, and comprehensive update on microelectronic circuits and systems. The Microelectronics Journal invites papers describing significant research and applications in all of the areas listed below. Comprehensive review/survey papers covering recent developments will also be considered. The Microelectronics Journal covers circuits and systems. This topic includes but is not limited to: Analog, digital, mixed, and RF circuits and related design methodologies; Logic, architectural, and system level synthesis; Testing, design for testability, built-in self-test; Area, power, and thermal analysis and design; Mixed-domain simulation and design; Embedded systems; Non-von Neumann computing and related technologies and circuits; Design and test of high complexity systems integration; SoC, NoC, SIP, and NIP design and test; 3-D integration design and analysis; Emerging device technologies and circuits, such as FinFETs, SETs, spintronics, SFQ, MTJ, etc. Application aspects such as signal and image processing including circuits for cryptography, sensors, and actuators including sensor networks, reliability and quality issues, and economic models are also welcome.