A broadband DC-coupling 16 GS/s sample-and-hold amplifier in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS process

Abstract This paper presents a broadband DC-coupling master-slave sample-and-hold amplifier (SHA) in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS process. PMOS source follower is implemented as the input stage to realize DC coupling such that spectrum near DC can be utilized for spectrally efficient modulation schemes. The trade-offs among bandwidth, harmonic distortion and feedthrough are investigated in track-and-hold switches, to optimize its bandwidth specification and dynamic performance as well. The design is verified with an input signal of 0.6 Vpp, which is sampled at 16 GS/s: the results show a bandwidth of over 20 GHz; The total harmonic distortion (THD) is −40 dB for a 2.11 GHz input signal. The proposed SHA is suitable for high-speed broadband analog-to-digital converter used in microwave and optical communication.