Fundamentals of the switched-capacitor approach to circuit synthesis

An overview is given of the switched-capacitor approach to circuit synthesis developed by the author in the early 1960s. The author presents the switched-capacitor (SC) approach as a method of synthesizing various types of circuits, one of which includes filters and A/D convertors. He considers fundamental concepts and ideas, basic structures and circuits, and their functional capabilities in signal processing of various kinds of analog and digital signals. Operating in discrete time of number pulses and using capacitors for voltage-charge conversion, the method allows direct processing of voltages, charges, numbers of pulses, pulse frequencies, and digital signals providing extremely wide capabilities for signal processing. Sample structures and circuits are given for various types of linear and nonlinear algebraic and dynamic functions, for discontinuous and quasi-continuous operation, and for processing and producing analog, frequency and pulse-number modulated and binary coded digital signals and combinations thereof.