Errors of Multiplying D/A Converters Used for Precise AC Voltage Division

High-resolution multiplying digital-to-analog converters (MDACs) are often used as digitally controlled AC voltage dividers in precise instruments and measurement systems. Proper application of these converters requires knowledge of their parameters, especially amplitude and phase errors, which are usually not specified by MDAC manufacturers. The paper presents phase errors of selected commercial 16- and I8-bit MDACs measured with a dedicated sampling system. These errors were determined as a function of frequency of the divided sinusoidal voltage and as a function of the MDAC digital input word.