A system and method for calibrating a time-interleaved digital-to-analog converter (DAC). A calibration signal generator generates calibration data, and a time-interleaved DAC converts the calibration data to an analog calibration signal. An observation analog-to-digital converter (ADC) samples, and quantizes, the analog calibration signal filtered by an anti-alias filter. A mismatch estimation block estimates a frequency response mismatch between the sub-DACs and generates a sub-DAC mismatch correction factor based on an output of the observation ADC. The calibration signal generator applies the sub-DAC mismatch correction factor to the calibration data. The mismatch estimation block may estimate a DC offset mismatch between the sub-DACs based on the output of the observation ADC and generates a DC offset correction factor, and the calibration signal generator applies the DC offset correction factor to the calibration data.

An input circuitry for receiving an analog input signal comprises: an input transistor configured to receive the analog input signal on a gate terminal of the input transistor wherein the input transistor is connected to a digital component providing a digital signal, and wherein the input transistor is configured to receive the digital signal on a bulk terminal of the input transistor; wherein the input transistor is configured to provide an output current based on the analog input signal and the digital signal, such that the input transistor provides digital-to-analog conversion of the digital signal received on the bulk terminal.

A DAC-based transmit driver architecture with improved bandwidth and techniques for driving data using such an architecture. One example transmit driver circuit generally includes an output node and a plurality of digital-to-analog converter (DAC) slices. Each DAC slice has an output coupled to the output node of the transmit driver circuit and includes a bias transistor having a drain coupled to the output of the DAC slice and a multiplexer having a plurality of inputs and an output coupled to a source of the bias transistor.

A current steering converter fabricated using a predetermined integrated circuit technology includes a unary portion having one or more current sources and a binary portion including a plurality of switches controlled by a decoder, the switches coupled to a converter output; and a plurality of devices commonly connected at a first end and coupled to each respective switch at a second end, wherein each device size comprises (W/L)*M, where W/L is a width and length of the device and M is an integer representing multiple number.

A method and circuit for performing vector-matrix multiplication may include converting an input vector of binary-encoded values into analog signals using one-bit DACs, and sequentially performing a vector-matrix multiplication operation for each bit-order. The method may also include, for each sequentially performed operation, operating a switch that corresponds to a current bit-order. Operating the switch may cause a value corresponding to an output of the multiplier to be stored on a capacitor corresponding to the current bit-order. A time interval during which the switch is operated may be non-uniform with respect to time intervals for other switches, and the time interval may be based at least in part on a settling time of the capacitor. The method may also include performing a bit-order weighted summation of values stored on the plurality of capacitors to generate a result of the vector-matrix multiplication.

A signal processing apparatus includes a plurality of time-interleaving digital-to-analog converters each configured to sample a digital input signal at a preset sub-DAC sample frequency, and to generate an analog sub-DAC output signal. The signal processing apparatus includes analog multiplexer that samples the plurality of sub-DAC output signals at a preset multiplexer clock frequency and generates a multiplexer output signal. The signal processing apparatus further includes a local ADC that receives the multiplexer output signal and generate a digital feedback signal. The signal processing apparatus further includes a digital compensation engine that receives the digital feedback signal from the local ADC and determine one or more distortion compensation parameters. The signal processing apparatus further includes a digital pre-processing stage that receives the one or more distortion compensation parameters from the digital compensation engine and performs distortion compensation pre-processing on the digital input signal.

A multi-layer time-interleaving (TI) device and method of operation therefor. This device includes a plurality of TI layers configured to receive a plurality of input clock signals and to output a plurality of output clock signals, each of which can be configured to drive subsequent devices. The layers include at least a first and second layer including a fine-grain propagation device and a barrel-shifting propagation device configured to retime the plurality of input clock signals to produce divided output clock signals. The device can include additional barrel-shifting propagation devices to time interleave an initial two layers to produce one or more additional layers. Using negative phase stepping, the plurality of output clock signals is produced with optimal timing margin and synchronized on a single clock edge.

A system and method where a comparator is operatively coupled to an output of a Digital-to-analog Converter (DAC). The DAC may comprise a single DAC core or a plurality of interleaved DAC cores. The comparator is configured to capture properties of DAC core output. A digital engine is operatively coupled to receive output of the comparator and configured to calculate a cross-correlation between comparator output and input to the DAC core(s). The digital engine may be configured to determine if the skew of each DAC core is positive or negative and to determine if a skew correction term for the DAC core(s) should be decreased or increased, based on the skew of each DAC core being positive or negative, respectively. In interleaved DAC core devices, clock frequency sampling edges of the comparator may alternate between clock edges of each of the interleaved DAC cores.

A kickback current is suppressed so as not to generate a deviation in a signal that outputs a comparison result.

A comparator includes a first input terminal and a second input terminal to which a first differential input signal pair is input, a third input terminal and a fourth input terminal to which a second differential input signal pair is input, a first comparison circuit that outputs a signal corresponding to a difference signal of the first differential input signal pair generated by connecting the first input terminal to a positive side and connecting the second input terminal to a negative side and a difference signal of the second differential input signal pair generated by connecting the third input terminal to a positive side and connecting the fourth input terminal to a negative side, and a second comparison circuit that outputs a signal corresponding to a difference signal of the first differential input signal pair generated by connecting the first input terminal to a negative side and connecting the second input terminal to a positive side, and a difference signal of the second differential input signal pair generated by connecting the third input terminal to a positive side and connecting the fourth input terminal to a negative side.

A data driver electrically connected to data lines includes a digital-to-analog converter configured to sequentially receive data signals respectively corresponding to the data lines and outputting an analog image signal, and a switching output unit configured to sequentially output the analog image signal outputted from the digital-to-analog converter as analog driving signals respectively corresponding to the data lines in synchronization with a clock signal.