Devices and methods for improving voltage handling and/or bi-directionality of stacks of elements when connected between terminals are described. Such devices and method include use of symmetrical compensation capacitances, symmetrical series capacitors, or symmetrical sizing of the elements of the stack.

A calibration method for a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is disclosed. The DAC is applied to a successive approximation analog-to-digital converter (SA ADC) and includes a first capacitor, multiple second capacitors and a bridge capacitor. The method includes the steps of: (a) controlling voltages at two input terminals of a comparator of the SA ADC to be equal; (b) changing a voltage at a first terminal of the first capacitor; (b) obtaining a first output of the SA ADC; (d) after obtaining the first output, controlling voltages at the two input terminals of the comparator to be equal; (e) changing voltages at multiple first terminals of the second capacitors; (f) obtaining a second output of the SA ADC; and (g) calibrating the DAC according to the first output and the second output.

A digital to analog convertor comprises an output line; first, second and third pluralities of capacitors; and first and second bridge capacitors. The first plurality of capacitors is coupled in parallel with one another, coupled with the output line, and comprises a first least significant bit capacitor of a first capacitance value. The second plurality of capacitors is coupled in parallel with one another, coupled with the output line, and comprises a second capacitor of the first capacitance value. The third plurality of capacitors is coupled in parallel with one another, coupled with the output line, and comprises a third capacitor of the first capacitance value. The first bridge capacitor bridges the output line between the first plurality of capacitors and the second plurality of capacitors. The second bridge capacitor bridges the output line between the second plurality of capacitors and the third plurality of capacitors.

Embodiments of a multi-channel analog to digital converter (ADC) include: a first multiplying digital to analog converter (MDAC) having: first and second switched capacitor circuit paths respectively coupled between first and second input nodes and an input node of a first gain element, a second MDAC having: third and fourth switched capacitor circuit paths respectively coupled between third and fourth input nodes and an input node of a second gain element, a third MDAC having: fifth and sixth switched capacitor circuit paths respectively coupled between a fifth input node and an input node of a third gain element, seventh and eighth switched capacitor circuit paths respectively coupled between a sixth input node and the input node of the third gain element, the fifth input node coupled to an output node of the first gain element, the sixth input node coupled to an output node of the second gain element.

A two-capacitor digital-to-analog converter circuit having circuitry to compensate for an unwanted capacitance is disclosed. The converter is configured to generate an average voltage on two capacitors for a sequence of bits in a digital word so that when the final bit is reached, the average voltage corresponds to an analog level of the digital word. The converter is configured to input and average the voltage on the two capacitors using different modes to minimize the effects of capacitor mismatch and switching capacitance on the accuracy of the conversion. The converter includes a buffer amp that has an input capacitance that can affect the conversion. Accordingly, the converter further includes capacitance compensation circuitry configured to provide a replica input capacitance that can be charged and discharged according to the bits of the digital word and coupled to the input capacitor to prevent the input capacitance from affecting the conversion.

A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) includes a plurality of reference modules, an output capacitor configured to output the analog voltage, and a sharing switch coupled between the output capacitor and the reference modules. The reference modules are mutually connected in parallel. Each reference module includes a reference capacitor and a reference switch connected in series. A plurality of reference capacitances of the reference capacitors are substantially identical. The reference switches are controlled by a plurality of control signals. The control signals are corresponding to a control code. The DAC produces an analog voltage according to the control code. An analog difference, between a first analog voltage corresponding to a first control code and a second analog voltage corresponding to a second control code, monotonically increases or monotonically decreases as a first value corresponding to the first control code increases. The first control code is consecutive to the second control code.

A successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter includes a capacitance digital-to-analog converter (CDAC) having, a voltage storing circuit connected to an output terminal of the CDAC and including a plurality of capacitors connected in parallel, an output voltage of the CDAC being stored in a selected one of the capacitors, a selector configured to output a voltage stored in the selected one of the capacitors, a comparator configured to compare a voltage input to an input terminal thereof, which is connected to an output terminal of the CDAC, with a reference voltage, and a successive approximation register configured to control the CDAC based on an output of the comparator, and cyclically control the voltage storing circuit and the selector, such that the output of the selector is output to the output terminal one or more cycles after the output voltage was stored in the selected one of the capacitors.

A first capacitor and a second capacitor are each arranged such that their first ends are coupled to a first node. A first switch is arranged between a second end of the first capacitor and a high voltage terminal. A second switch is arranged between the second end of the second capacitor and a low voltage terminal. A fifth switch is arranged between the second end of the first capacitor and a first input of a comparator. A sixth switch is arranged between the second end of the second capacitor and the first input of the comparator.

A sensor device includes an A/D converter including an adder that computes a difference between an analog input signal and a predicted value, the adder includes a capacitive adder defined by a series circuit including a capacitive charge output device and a capacitor. A capacitive component in the charge output device defines a portion of the capacitance of the capacitive adder. A digital prediction filter generates the predicted value based on an output from a quantizer. The capacitive adder computes the difference between the analog input signal from the charge output device and the predicted value. The quantizer quantizes and encodes the difference. The A/D converter performs a Δ modulation on the analog input signal which is converted into a digital signal.

Various arrangements for performing vector-matrix multiplication are provided here. Digital input vectors that include binary-encoded values can be converted into a plurality of analog signals using a plurality of one-bit digital to analog converters (DACs). Using an analog vector matrix multiplier, a vector-matrix multiplication operation can be performed using a weighting matrix for each bit-order of the plurality of analog signals. For each performed vector-matrix multiplication operation, a bit-ordered indication of an output of the analog vector matrix multiplier may be stored. A bit-order weighted summation of the sequentially performed vector-matrix multiplication operation may be performed.