Statistical behavioral modeling and characterization of A/D converters

This paper presents a method to characterize Nyquist rate A/D converters based on the use of a first order statistical behavioral model. The proposed model is derived from a very basic statistical interpretation of the conversion operation which contemplates noise and statistical process variations effects on traditional converter parameters. Both DC and dynamic converter parameters can be easily measured. The applicability of the proposed method is illustrated with two different examples. The first serves to show the possibility of deriving the statistical behavioral model from real measured data, and to prove the correctness of the model by comparing results to those obtained with traditional deterministic models. The second example illustrates the incorporation of the model in the mixed-signal simulator ELDO. The obtained results show that despite the model's simplicity, it is very efficient for quick and complete simulation of data converters.