Fast Peak Detector with Improved Accuracy and Linearity for High-Frequency Waveform Processing

A novel peak detection technique and its integrated circuit implementation are presented. In high-frequency circuits it is often required to know with precision and linearity the peak value of a voltage waveform, in order to compare it with a reference value and act accordingly. The classic peak detectors underestimate the peak value of sharp-peaked signals, and are affected by non-linearity. These limitations can be traded-off with detection speed. The proposed solution improves both linearity and accuracy without compromising speed. This is accomplished by properly combining the output signals of two fast peak detectors. Results show a 3x improvement in detection accuracy.