This paper describes the 10-bit 50 MS/s pipelined CMOS A/D Converter using a "reference feed-forward architecture." In this architecture, reference voltage generated in a reference generator block and residual voltage from a DA/subtractor block are fed to the next stage. The reference generator block and DA/subtractor block are constructed using resistive-load, low-gain differential amplifiers. The high-gain, high-speed amplifiers consuming much power are not used. Therefore, the power consumption of this ADC is reduced. The gain matching of the reference voltage with the internal signal range is achieved through the introduction of the reference generator block having the same characteristics as a DA/subtractor block. Each offset voltage of the differential amplifier in the reference generator block and the DA/subtractor block is canceled by the offset cancellation technique, individually. In addition, the front-end sample/hold circuit is eliminated to reduce power consumption. Because of the introduction of high-speed comparators based on the source follower and latch circuit into the first stage A/D subconverter, analog bandwidth is not degraded. This ADC has been fabricated in double-polysilicon, double-metal, 0.5µm CMOS technology, and it operates at 50 MS/s with a 300-mW (Vdd=3.0 V) power consumption. The differential linearity error of less than +/-1 LSB is obtained.

An 8-to 10-bit CMOS A/D converter with a conversion rate of more than 16 megasample/second is required in consumer video systems. Subranging architecture is widely used to realize such A/D converters. This architecture, however, exhibits an reference voltage error caused by resistor ladder loadings. The error has been discussed with respect to a flash A/D converter by Dingwall. However, it can not be applied for a subranging A/D converter as it is. The analysis of this error is very important in realizing the desired accuracy of a subranging A/D converter. This paper describes a static analysis to improve the linearity, and reports the results of this analysis for two typical types, one with invividual comparator arrays for coarse and fine A/D conversions, and the other with the same comparator array for both conversions. This analysis makes it clear that a subranging A/D converter has unique saw-tooth characteristic in fine linearity errors. Furthermore, this analysis clarifies what conditions are necessary to achieve the desired accuracy. It is necessary, for example, that the product of the total input capacitance of the comparators C, the conversion rate fs and the total ladder resistance R is less than 0.03 in A/D converters with individual comparator arrays and 0.016 in A/D converters with the same comparator array in order to achieve 10-bit accuracy.

This paper proposes novel test techniques for high accuracy measurement of ADCs and a ramp generator on a CMOS image sensor (CIS) chip. The test circuit for the ADCs has a dual path and has an ability of multi-functional fine pattern generator that can define any input for each column to evaluate CIS specific characteristics electrically. The test circuit for the ramp generator can realize an on-chip current cell test and reject the current cell failure within 1LSB accuracy. We fabricated the test sensor using 55nm CIS process and measured the IP characteristics. Measured results show INL of 14.6LSB, crosstalk of 14.9LSB and column interference noise of 5.4LSB. These measured results agree with the designed values. By using this technique, we confirmed the accurate ADC measurement can be realized without being affected by the ambiguity of the optical input.