A 2.5-V sigma-delta modulator for broadband communications applications

Oversampled sigma-delta (Sigma Delta) modulators offer numerous advantages for the realization of high-resolution analog-to-digital (A/D) converters. This paper explores how oversampling and feedback can be employed in high-resolution Sigma Delta modulators to extend the signal bandwidth into the range of several megahertz when the oversampling ratio is constrained by technology limitations. A 2-2-1 cascaded multibit architecture suitable for operation from a 2.5-V power supply is presented, and a linearization technique referred to as partitioned data weighted averaging is introduced to suppress in-band digital-to-analog converter (DAC) errors. An experimental prototype based on the proposed topology has been integrated in a 0.5-mum double-poly triple-metal CMOS technology. Fully differential double-sampled switched-capacitor integrators enable the modulator to achieve 95-dB dynamic range at a 4-Msample/s Nyquist conversion rate with an oversampling ratio of 16. The experimental modulator dissipates 150 mW from a 2.5-V supply.