A deterministic dynamic element matching approach to ADC testing

Abstract

A deterministic dynamic element matching (DEM) approach to ADC testing is introduced and compared with a common random DEM method. With both approaches, a highly non-ideal DAC is used to generate an excitation for a DUT that has linearity that far exceeds that of the test stimulus. Simulation results show that both methods can be used for testing of ADCs but with a substantial reduction in the number of samples required for the deterministic DEM method. This technique of using an imprecise excitation to test an accurate ADC offers potential for use in both production test and BIST environments.