Event-Driven GHz-Range Continuous-Time Digital Signal Processor With Activity-Dependent Power Dissipation

Presented is a clockless, continuous-time (CT) GHz processor that bypasses some of the limitations of conventional digital and analog implementations. Per-edge digital signal encoding is used for parallel processing of continuous-time samples with a temporal spacing as narrow as 15 ps, generated by a 3-b CT flash ADC. Parallel digital delay chains and programmable charge pumps realize the asynchronous filtering operation, each consuming negligible power while awaiting a new sample. A six-tap CT ADC and CT digital FIR processor system occupies 0.07 mm
²
and achieves dynamic range of over 20 dB in the 0.8-3.2-GHz signal range. The system's rate of operations automatically adapts to the signal, thus causing its power dissipation to vary in the range of 1.1 to 10 mW according to input activity.