Sigma Delta A/D Conversion for Signal Conditioning

List of symbols and abbreviations

1 Introduction

1.1 Background

1.1.1 Anelectronicsystem

1.1.2 Digital signalprocessing

1.1.3 Digitizationof signal conditioning

1.1.4 Digitization of inter-die interfaces

1.2 Aim of this thesis

1.3 Scope

1.3.1 BasebandA/Dconditioning channels

1.3.2 Continuous-time single-bit sigma-delta conversion

1.3.3 CMOS technology

1.3.4 Power consumptionas cost parameter

1.3.5 Performance parameters

1.4 Outline

2 The signal conditioning channel

2.1 Generic communication channel

2.2 Performance parameters

2.3 Conventional conditioning channels

2.4 Evolution

2.4.1 Technology advances

2.4.2 Systemdemands

2.4.3 Advances in digital signal processing and analog circuit design

2.4.4 Digitizationof the architecture

2.5 Nomenclature

2.6 Conclusions

3 Sigma delta A/D conversion

3.1 Historical overview

3.2 State-of-the-art in sigma delta A/D conversion

3.2.1 Architectural considerations

3.2.2 Implementation aspects

3.2.3 Performance metrics for sigma delta ADCs

3.3 sigma delta ADCs infuture conditioning channels

3.3.1 The Shannon theorem and sigma delta based signal conditioning

3.3.2 Comparison of Nyquist and sigma delta based signal conditioning

3.3.3 Survey of published power/performance values

3.4 Limitations of sigma delta A/D conversion

3.4.1 Linear limitations

3.4.2 Non-linear limitations

3.5 Conclusions

4 Power consumption in channel building blocks

4.1 Literature on power/performance analysis

4.2 Figures-of-merit

4.2.1 FOM related to thermal noise

4.2.2 FOMincluding distortion

4.2.3 FOM related to signal resolution

4.3 Power consumption in analog conditioning circuits

4.3.1 Power/performance relations

4.3.2 Discussion

4.4 Power consumption in a sigma delta ADC

4.4.1 Power/performance relations

4.4.2 Discussion

4.5 Power consumption in digital conditioning circuits

4.5.1 Filter functions

4.5.2 Power/performancerelations

4.5.3 Discussion

4.6 Comparison

4.7 Conclusions

5 Full-analog and full-digital conditioning channels

5.1 Full-analog conditioning channel

5.1.1 The conditioning channel

5.2 Full-digital conditioning channel

5.2.1 The conditioning channel

5.2.2 Power/performance analysis

5.3 Conclusions

6 Conditioning sigma delta ADCs

6.1 Generic conditioning sigma delta ADC

6.1.1 Conceptofoperation

6.1.2 Universal model of a sigma delta modulator

6.1.3 Interferer immunity

6.1.4 Power/performance analysis

6.2 Signal conditioning in the decimation filter

6.2.1 Interferer immunity

6.2.2 The conditioning channel

6.2.3 Power/performance analysis

6.3 Signal conditioning with a restricted filtering STF

6.3.1 Interferer immunity

6.3.2 The conditioning channel

6.3.3 Power/performance analysis

6.3.4 Conditioning hybrid sigma delta ADC

6.4 Signal conditioningbyunrestrictedSTFdesign

6.4.1 Interferer immunity

6.4.2 The conditioningchannel

6.4.3 Power/performanceanalysis

6.5 Comparisonof conditioningADCs

6.5.1 Comparison of topologies

6.5.2 Flexibility

6.5.3 Power consumption

6.5.4 Guidelines

6.6 Conclusions

7 Digitization of the inter-die interface

7.1 Considerations

7.2 Power inthe interface

7.2.1 Analoginterface

7.2.2 Digital interface after decimation

7.2.3 Digital interface before decimation

7.2.4 Comparison

7.3 Application to the conditioning channels

7.4 Conclusions

8 Highly analog and highly digital channels for FM/AM radio

8.1 System

8.1.1 Conventional radio with analog demodulation

8.1.2 Radio with digital demodulation

8.2 VGAdesign

8.2.1 HighlylinearVGAdesign

8.2.2 Evaluation

8.3 ADCdesign

8.3.1 Conventionalsolutions

8.3.2 sigma delta ADC with integrated passive mixer

8.3.3 Evaluation

8.4 Evaluationof the channel

8.4.1 Discussion

8.4.2 Benchmark

8.5 Conclusions

9 Conditioning s

Kathleen Philips was born in 1972, in Aalst, Belgium. In 1992 and in 1995, respectively, she obtained the B. Sc. and the M. Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from the "Katholieke Universiteit Leuven" in Belgium. The graduation project was on the design of monolithic microwave ICs based on HEMT-transistors.In the summer of 1993, she did a traineeship at the IMEC, Belgium, on methodologies to evaluate contamination in IC technology steps. In September 1995, she started working in the Mixed-signal Circuits and Systems group of the Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, where she is now a senior research scientist. She respectively worked on the design of D/A converters and class-D amplifiers for audio, sigma delta A/D conversion for FM and AMradio, variable-gain amplifiers, sigma delta design for UMTS and for Bluetooth receivers. Her research interests also include the system-level design of transceivers for wireless communication.In the fall of 1997, she was seconded to Philips Semiconductors, France, on the topic of PLL design. Another secondment in 2000, to the Philips Research Laboratories in the United Kingdom, involved the study of third-generation mobile receivers and the derivation of circuit specifications.The author was a lecturer in the Educational Sessions of the IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference in 2003 and 2004. From 2005 on, she also serves in the technical program committee of this conference.