ADC trends and impact on SAR ADC architecture and analysis

Abstract

The performance of ADCs continues to improve with process scaling. For low to moderate resolutions, SAR ADCs deliver the best energy efficiency. Interleaved SAR converters have become popular for very high sampling speeds. The SAR assisted scheme has dramatically improved the energy efficiency of higher resolution pipeline ADCs. This paper reviews the fundamental limits of the energy efficiency of the SAR architecture, considering the energy consumption of the capacitor array and of the comparator. ADCs. ADC yield as a function of capacitor matching is also considered.