Tutorial: High-Speed Analog-to-Digital Converters

High-speed ADCs are critical in applications spanning from wideband wireless communication to ultra-high-speed wireline and optical links, but achieving rapid operation poses unique design challenges. Beginning with fundamentals, the tutorial dives into design tradeoffs of high-speed ADC building blocks such as samplers and single-channel ADCs. Next, special attention is given to time-interleaving techniques aimed at enhancing speed, including architectural choices, impairments and calibration methodologies. Practical considerations for performance optimization and robust operation are also addressed. To conclude, emerging architectures and applications including silicon photonics, superconducting ADCs, and machine learning-enhanced approaches are discussed to illustrate their versatility in highspeed systems.