A delta-sigma modulator and a delta-sigma converter include an analog amplifying unit to amplify an analog signal and having at least a primary feedback coefficient, a quantizer to quantize an output signal of the analog amplifying unit, a DA converter to perform DA conversion on output of the quantizer and output a feedback signal, an adder-subtractor to input into the analog amplifying unit an analog signal obtained by subtracting the feedback signal from an analog signal input therein, a reset circuit to reset the analog amplifying unit at predetermined periods, and a control circuit to control the analog amplifying unit so that the analog amplifying unit operates as an integrator with the primary feedback coefficient of 1 until a predetermined period elapses after the reset circuit resets the analog amplifying unit and as an amplifier with the primary feedback coefficient of greater than one after the predetermined period has elapsed.

Described herein is a modulator with improved metastability in which the control loop remains stable. In one embodiment, the modulator utilizes differently delayed feedback to successive integrators of the control loop to suppress metastability errors without compromising the stability of the control loop. This is accomplished by including one or more quantizers in the control loop. This technique may be applied to control loops of at least second order, i.e., having two or more integrator stages, where at least one feedback term after the first is non-zero.

A delta-sigma modulator includes a first integrator and a comparator. The comparator's positive input couples to the first integrator's positive output, and the comparator's negative input couples to the first integrator's negative output. A first current DAC comprises a current source device, and first and second transistors. The first transistor has a first transistor control input and first and second current terminals. The first current terminal couples to the current source device, and the second current terminal couples to the first integrator positive output. The second transistor has a second transistor control input and third and fourth current terminals. The third current terminal couples to the current source device, and the fourth current terminal couples to the first integrator negative output. A first capacitive device couples to the second transistor control input and to both the second current terminal and the first integrator positive output.

An analog-to-digital convertor circuit converts the output of a loop filter circuit to a digital signal. A random sequence generation circuit generates a random sequence. Adder circuitry adds the random sequence to the digital signal to generate a randomized digital signal. Noise transfer function impulse response detection circuitry processes the randomized digital signal and the random sequence to determine a noise transfer function impulse response. Loop filter configuration circuitry configures the loop filter circuit based on the noise transfer function impulse response. The random sequence generation circuit may comprises a high-pass sigma delta modulator. The noise transfer function impulse response detection circuitry may determine the noise transfer function impulse response, and the loop filter configuration circuitry may configure the loop filter based on the noise transfer function impulse response. The loop filter configuration circuitry may generate loop filter coefficients based on the noise transfer function impulse response.

A delta-sigma modulator comprising: a first loop filter for filtering a first signal to a second signal, a second loop filter for filtering a third signal, a comparator, a register coupled to the comparator, a first capacitor bank and a second capacitor bank parallelly coupled between the second loop filter and the comparator, a first path causing a delayed signal to be linearly combined with an input signal to form the first signal, and a second path causing the delayed signal to be linearly combined with the second signal to form the third signal, wherein the delayed signal may be formed by delaying an output signal of the register.

An Integrated Circuit (IC) includes feedback control-loop (FCL) circuitry to generate a delay-compensated output signal responsively to an input reference signal. The FCL circuitry includes a main feedback path, a first subtractor, a delay-compensation feedback path, and a second subtractor. The main feedback path is to generate a main feedback signal responsively to the delay-compensated output signal. The first subtractor is to generate a non-compensated output signal responsively to a difference between the main feedback signal and the input reference signal. The delay-compensation feedback path is to generate a delay-compensation feedback signal responsively to the delay-compensated output signal. The second subtractor is to generate the delay-compensated output signal responsively to a difference between the non-compensated output signal and the delay-compensation feedback signal.

Integrator circuits comprising switched capacitors, non-switched capacitors, and an op amp. One embodiment is directed to an integrator circuit comprising an op amp having an inverting input, a non-inverting input, an inverting output and a non-inverting output, a first sampling capacitor and a first feedback capacitor, and a first non-switched capacitor. The first feedback capacitor is coupled between the inverting input and the non-inverting output of the op amp, and the first non-switched capacitor is coupled between the negative integrator input and the inverting input of the op amp. During a sampling phase, a positive integrator input is coupled to the first sampling capacitor, and during an integration phase, a charge sampled across the first sampling capacitor during the sampling phase is transferred to the first integration capacitor.

A multi-bit continuous-time sigma-delta modulator, SDM, includes an input configured to receive an input analog signal; a first summing junction configured to subtract a feedback analog signal from the input analog signal; a loop filter configured to filter an output signal from the first summing junction: an analog-to-digital converter, ADC, configured to convert the filtered analog output signal to a digital output signal; and a feedback path for routing the digital output signal to the first summing junction. The feedback path includes a plurality of digital-to-analog converters, DACs, configured to convert the digital output signal to an analog form. The ADC includes multiple per-bit parallel loops, each loop configured to provide a per-bit current summation of the filtered analog output signal such that an output of the multiple per-bit parallel loops is a multi-bit quantization digital output signal.

A multi-bit continuous-time sigma-delta modulator, SDM, includes an input configured to receive an input analog signal; a first summing junction configured to subtract a feedback analog signal from the input analog signal; a loop filter configured to filter an output signal from the first summing junction (304): an analog-to-digital converter, ADC, configured to convert the filtered analog output signal to a digital output signal; and a feedback path for routing the digital output signal to the first summing junction. The feedback path includes a plurality of digital-to-analog converters, DACs, configured to convert the digital output signal to an analog form. The ADC comprises a plurality of N-bit comparator latches that are each locally time-interleaved with at least a pair of latches and configured to function in a complementary manner and provide a combined complementary output.

A delta-sigma modulator comprising: a first loop filter for filtering a first signal to a second signal, a second loop filter for filtering a third signal, a comparator, a register coupled to the comparator, a first capacitor bank and a second capacitor bank parallelly coupled between the second loop filter and the comparator, a first path causing a delayed signal to be linearly combined with an input signal to form the first signal, and a second path causing the delayed signal to be linearly combined with the second signal to form the third signal, wherein the delayed signal may be formed by delaying an output signal of the register.