Efficient Hybrid Continuous-Time/Discrete-Time Cascade Modulators for Wideband Applications

This paper analyses the use of hybrid continuous-time/discrete-time cascade ΣΔ modulators for the implementation of power-efficient analog-to-digital converters in broadband wireless communication systems. Two alternative implementations of multi-rate cascade architectures are studied and compared w...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: García-Sánchez, J. Gerardo, Rosa, José M. de la
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/107830
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/107830
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Analog-to-digital converters
Sigma-delta modulators
Hybrid continuous-time/discrete-time
Multi-rate signal processing
Descripción
Sumario:This paper analyses the use of hybrid continuous-time/discrete-time cascade ΣΔ modulators for the implementation of power-efficient analog-to-digital converters in broadband wireless communication systems. Two alternative implementations of multi-rate cascade architectures are studied and compared with conventional single-rate continuous-time topologies, taking into account the impact of main circuit-level error mechanisms, namely: mismatch, finite dc gain and gain-bandwidth product. In all cases, closed-form design equations are derived for the nonideal in-band noise power of all ΣΔ modulators under study, providing analytical relationships between their system-level performance and the corresponding circuit-level error parameters. Theoretical predictions match simulation results, showing that the lowest performance degradation is obtained by a new kind of multi-rate hybrid ΣΔ modulator, in which the front-end (continuous-time) stage operates at a higher rate than the back-end (discrete-time) stages. As a case study, the design of a hybrid GmC/switched-capacitor fourth-order (two-stage, 4-bit) cascade ΣΔ modulator is discussed to illustrate the potential benefits of the presented approach