MAX1294/MAX1296
420ksps, +5V, 6-/2-Channel, 12-Bit ADCs
with +2.5V Reference and Parallel Interface
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Definitions
Integral Nonlinearity
Integral nonlinearity (INL) is the deviation of the values
on an actual transfer function from a straight line. This
straight line can be either a best-straight-line fit or a line
drawn between the end points of the transfer function,
once offset and gain errors have been nullified. INL for
the MAX1294/MAX1296 is measured using the end-
point method.
Differential Nonlinearity
Differential nonlinearity (DNL) is the difference between
an actual step width and the ideal value of 1 LSB. A
DNL error specification of less than 1 LSB guarantees
no missing codes and a monotonic transfer function.
Aperture Jitter
Aperture jitter (t
AJ
) is the sample-to-sample variation in
the time between the samples.
Aperture Delay
Aperture delay (t
AD
) is the time between the rising
edge of the sampling clock and the instant when an
actual sample is taken.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
For a waveform perfectly reconstructed from digital sam-
ples, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is the ratio of the full-
scale analog input (RMS value) to the RMS quantization
error (residual error). The ideal, theoretical minimum ana-
log-to-digital noise is caused by quantization error only
and results directly from the ADC’s resolution (N bits):
SNR = (6.02 x N + 1.76)dB
In reality, there are other noise sources besides quanti-
zation noise, including thermal noise, reference noise,
clock jitter, etc. Therefore, SNR is calculated by taking
the ratio of the RMS signal to the RMS noise, which
includes all spectral components minus the fundamen-
tal, the first five harmonics, and the DC offset.
Signal-to-Noise Plus Distortion
Signal-to-noise plus distortion (SINAD) is the ratio of the
fundamental input frequency’s RMS amplitude to the
RMS equivalent of all other ADC output signals:
SINAD (dB) = 20 x log (Signal
RMS
/ Noise
RMS
)
Effective Number of Bits
Effective number of bits (ENOB) indicates the global
accuracy of an ADC at a specific input frequency and
sampling rate. An ideal ADC’s error consists of quanti-
zation noise only. With an input range equal to the full-
scale range of the ADC, calculate the effective number
of bits as follows:
ENOB = (SINAD - 1.76) / 6.02
Total Harmonic Distortion
Total harmonic distortion (THD) is the ratio of the RMS
sum of the first five harmonics of the input signal to the
fundamental itself. This is expressed as:
where V1 is the fundamental amplitude, and V2 through
V5 are the amplitudes of the 2nd- through 5th-order
harmonics.
Spurious-Free Dynamic Range
Spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) is the ratio of the
RMS amplitude of the fundamental (maximum signal
component) to the RMS value of the next largest distor-
tion component.
