A 10-bit 300 MS/s pipeline ADC with time-domain MDAC

A 10-bit 300 MS/s pipeline ADC utilizing time-domain MDAC is presented. The time-domain MDAC using only current sources and comparators to execute both signal subtraction and amplification is proposed to realize an opamp-less power-efficient structure without calibration. At the conversion rate of 300 MS/s with Nyquist input frequency, the ADC simulated in 40-nm CMOS exhibits an ENOB of 9.38 and 7.96 bits without and with device noise, respectively. It dissipates 19 mW at 1.2 V supply, where one-third of the power is consumed by the low-noise comparator. The noise analysis of the proposed time-domain MDAC is addressed. The active area of the ADC is 0.1 mm2.