A Gray-code MOS current-mode analog-to-digital converter design

A novel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) designed to operate without any clocking circuitry, such as a sample-and-hold, is described. The design presented is a first-generation Gray-code algorithmic converter (GA-ADC) with a continuous analog transfer function. The continuous transfer function results in a digital output that is Gray-coded. Performance degrades gracefully as the input exceeds the ADC's maximum sampling rate, enabling one to use a single ADC for a large variety of applications. In addition, the converter has other useful features such as low power dissipation, and high area efficiency.<
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