Typical Performance Characteristics
Zero (Offset) Error
vs Reference Voltage
Linearity Error vs
Reference Voltage
DS010559-9
DS010559-10
Mode 1 Conversion Time
vs Temperature
Mode 2 Conversion Time
vs Temperature
DS010559-11
DS010559-12
mate is then used to control the multiplexer that connects the
MSB Ladder to the sixteen comparators on the right. Note
that the comparators on the left needn’t be very accurate;
they simply provide an estimate of the input voltage. Only the
sixteen comparators on the right and the six on the left are
necessary to perform the initial six-bit flash conversion, in-
stead of the 64 comparators that would be required using
conventional half-flash methods.
Functional Description
The ADC1061 digitizes an analog input signal to 10 bits ac-
curacy by performing two lower-resolution “flash” conver-
sions. The first flash conversion provides the six most signifi-
cant bits (MSBs) of data, and the second flash conversion
provides the four least significant bits (LSBs).
Figure 3 is a simplified block diagram of the converter. Near
the center of the diagram is a string of resistors. At the bot-
tom of the string of resistors are 16 resistors, each of which
has a value 1/1024th the resistance of the whole resistor
string. These lower 16 resistors (the LSB Ladder) therefore
have a voltage drop of 16/1024, or 1/64th of the total refer-
ence voltage (VREF+ − VREF−) across them. The remainder
of the resistor string is made up of eight groups of eight resis-
tors connected in series. These comprise the MSB Ladder.
Each section of the MSB Ladder has 1/8th of the total refer-
ence voltage across it, and each of the MSB resistors has
1/64th of the total reference voltage across it. Tap points
across all of these resistors can be connected, in groups, to
the sixteen comparators at the right of the diagram.
To perform a conversion, the estimator compares the input
voltage with the tap voltages on the seven resistors on the
left. The estimator decoder then determines which MSB Lad-
der tap points will be connected to the sixteen comparators
on the right. For example, assume that the estimator deter-
mines that VIN is between 11/16 and 13/16 of VREF. The es-
timator decoder will instruct the comparator mux to connect
the 16 comparators to the taps on the MSB Ladder between
10/16 and 14/16 of VREF. The 16 comparators will then per-
form the first flash conversion. Note that since the compara-
tors are connected to Ladder voltages that extend beyond
the range indicated by the estimator circuit, errors in the es-
timator as large as 1/16 of the reference voltage (64 LSBs)
will be corrected. This first flash conversion produces the six
most significant bits of data.
On the left side of the diagram is a string of seven resistors
connected between VREF+ − VREF−. Six comparators com-
pare the input voltage with the tap voltages on the resistor
string to provide an estimate of the input voltage. This esti-
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