ADC histogram test by triangular small-waves

A histogram-based method for quasi-static test of analog-to-digital converters has been proposed for standardization aims. The test exploits the use of small-amplitude triangular waves. Different signal offset values are used to fully stimulate the converter input range. The reduced amplitude and slope of the input triangular wave with respect to the converter range and slew rate, respectively, lead to quasi-static test conditions. The test allows (i) linearity constraints of function generators to be relaxed, and (ii) experimental burdens to be reduced. In this paper, after a brief recalling of the test procedure, analytical relations for designing an efficient test are provided. Numerical and experimental results of a comparative analysis with the IEEE 1057-standard static test highlight its better performance.