Built-in Self-test for A/D Converters in the Presence of Transient Zones

This paper presents a new BIST(Built-in Selftest) method for A/D converters. The method characterizes the static parameters of A/D converter like offset, gain, INL(Integral Non-linearity) and DNL(Differential Non-linearity). It uses a ramp signal as a test stimulus and consists of three detectors – a transition detector, an INL detector and a DNL detector. The transition detector checks the code transition of A/D converter and generates a detection signal. With the signal, INL/DNL detectors calculate the linearity errors. Testing time and the hardware overhead are reduced with the proposed BIST. Furthermore, the proposed approach overcomes a transient zone problem which is derived from the random noise in real A/D converters. Simulation results are shown to validate the method.