ADC testing with IEEE Std 1241-2000

While the new IEEE standard for ADC terminology and testing builds on IEEE Std 1057-1994 (for digitizing waveform recorders), 1241 relies strongly on frequency domain techniques. Frequency domain techniques tend to be favored in manufacturing because two records of data can produce a robust characterization of the ADC. Processing a small data record (e.g. 2-8 K sample) with an FFT yields SINAD, SNHR, THD, SFDR, IMD (with multiple input tones), and other useful data. Generating a histogram of a large record (e.g., 2-4 Msample) of overdriven data yields DNL and INL. Both theoretical and practical issues are addressed in the context of actual ADC characterization data.