CMOS Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuit Design

7	Data Converter

7.1      INTRODUCTION

A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) can be described as a mixed-signal integrated circuit.

Resolution is a term used to describe a minimum voltage or current that an ADC/DAC can resolve. The fundamental limit is a quantization noise due to the finite number of bits used in the ADC/DAC. In an N-bit ADC, the minimum incremental input voltage of V_ref/2^N can be resolved with a full-scale input range of V_ref. That is, limited 2^N digital codes are available to represent the continuous analog input. Similarly, in an N-bit DAC, 2^N input digital codes can generate distinct output levels separated by V_ref/2^N with a full-scale output range of V_ref. An alternative definition ...