A 16-bit 65-MS/s 3.3-V pipeline ADC core in SiGe BiCMOS with 78-dB SNR and 180-fs jitter

The analog-to-digital converter presented in this work demonstrates the efficiency of the straight 2.5 bit-per-stage approach for the implementation of pipelined switched-capacitor architectures targeting up to 16-bit resolution and 65-MS/s sampling rate. The test chip has been fabricated in a 45-GHz f_T, 0.4-μm 3.3-V SiGe BiCMOS process that makes it suitable for integration with an RF front-end toward an antenna-to-DSP communication processor. Performance of 78.3 dBFS SNR, 88dBc SFDR at 65 MS/s, 1 MHz input is obtained without trimming or calibration, dissipating 970 mW total with external references. Since the 4 V_p-p signal range chosen for high SNR could lead to distortion in the Sample/Hold and the pipelined quantizer with only 3.3-V supply, a fast and accurate SPICE simulation technique for INL investigation is described that enabled detailed diagnosis of potential nonlinearity sources. Theoretical analysis and practical implementation of the clock circuit are also discussed allowing the design of a CMOS-based clock featuring 180-fs jitter, which preserves high SNR against input frequency: state-of-the-art 73.5dBFS have been observed at 150 MHz input, popular intermediate frequency (IF) for single-heterodyne BTS receivers. Finally, the figures of merit encompassing power, effective resolution, and speed rank the dynamic performance of the ADC core among the best in its class.