• 一种基于数字前台校正的列级SAR ADC的设计

    A column-level SAR ADC based on digital foreground calibration

    • 针对逐次逼近型模数转换器(Successive Approximation Register Analog-to-Digital Converters, SAR ADC)中电容阵列失配问题,提出了一种适用于12 bit 列级SAR ADC的前台数字校准算法,并将其应用于CMOS图像传感器(CMOS Image Sensor, CIS)的列级读出电路中,以实现高帧率的CIS芯片设计。该算法具有收敛速度快、稳定性高、电路开销小的优点,能够有效解决电容失调问题。从电路采用非二进制(sub-radix)电容阵列结构,保证每一位输出码的可校正性,并通过计算确定最大进制;同时设计了带2 bit冗余位的分段电容阵列,以减小电容的面积。为获得高精度参考信号,采用多路并行列级ADC的输出均值,在不增加额外电路开销的前提下保证参考信号的高精度。在校准算法方面,基于最小均方算法,引入冲量方法优化迭代方向,避免仅依据局部最优解;提出了一种改进的步长更新公式,提升了算法稳定性,使收敛速度提高了10倍以上。基于SMIC 0.18 μm工艺对电路进行仿真验证,在后仿中根据电容的蒙特卡罗仿真结果添加电容失配,经过500次的迭代计算出了电容的实际权重。在1 MS/s的采样率下,校准后ADC的信噪失真比由失配后的57.9 dB提高到了68.6 dB,积分非线性(INL)、微分非线性(DNL)由−1 ~ 2 LSB降低到了−0.5 ~ +0.5 LSB,电路面积仅为 0.0499 mm2,功耗仅为149 μW。

       

      Abstract: To address the capacitor mismatch problem in Successive Approximation Register Analog-to-Digital Converters (SAR ADCs), a foreground digital calibration algorithm for a 12 bit SAR ADC is proposed, along with the design of a column-parallel SAR ADC suitable for this algorithm. The proposed algorithm offers advantages such as fast convergence, high stability, and low circuit overhead. It effectively compensates for capacitor mismatches in column-level readout circuits of SAR ADCs, thereby enabling the application of SAR ADCs in the column-level readout of CMOS image sensors (CMOS Image Sensor, CIS) for high-frame-rate CIS chip design. Key innovations include: A sub-radix capacitor array ensuring correctability of each output code. The maximum radix is calculated and a segmented capacitor array with 2 bit redundancy is designed to minimize area. Utilizing multi-channel parallel column ADC output averages as reference signals, achieving high-precision references without additional circuitry. A momentum-enhanced least mean square (LMS) algorithm that optimizes iteration direction beyond local optima, combined with a novel step-size update formula improving stability. This achieves over 10 times faster convergence. Implemented in SMIC 0.18 μm CMOS technology, the design incorporates capacitor mismatch from Monte Carlo simulations during post-layout verification. After 500 iterations, actual capacitor weights are calibrated. At 1 MS/s sampling rate: SNDR improves from 57.9 dB (mismatched) to 68.6 dB (calibrated), INL/DNL reduce from −1 - 2 LSB to −0.5 - +0.5 LSB, occupies 0.0499 mm2 with 149 μW power consumption. The solution demonstrates an area-efficient, low-power approach for high-precision CIS readout systems.

       

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