Differential Nonlinearity: Ideally, any two adjacent digitalcodes correspond to output analog voltages that are exactlyone LSB apart. Differential non-linearity is a measure of theworst case deviation from the ideal 1 LSB step. For example,a DAC with a 1.5 LSB output change for a 1 LSB digital codechange exhibits 1⁄2 LSB differential non-linearity. Differentialnon-linearity may be expressed in fractional bits or as a percentageof full scale. A differential non-linearity greater than1 LSB will lead to a non-monotonic transfer function in aDAC.Gain Error (Full Scale Error): The difference between theoutput voltage (or current) with full scale input code and theideal voltage (or current) that should exist with a full scale inputcode.Gain Temperature Coefficient (Full Scale TemperatureCoefficient): Change in gain error divided by change in temperature.Usually expressed in parts per million per degreeCelsius (ppm/°C).Integral Nonlinearity (Linearity Error): Worst case deviationfrom the line between the endpoints (zero and full scale).Can be expressed as a percentage of full scale or in fractionof an LSB.LSB (Lease-Significant Bit): In a binary coded system thisis the bit that carries the smallest value or weight. Its value isthe full scale voltage (or current) divided by 2n, where n is theresolution of the converter.Monotonicity: A monotonic function has a slope whose signdoes not change. A monotonic DAC has an output thatchanges in the same direction (or remains constant) for eachincrease in the input code. the converse is true for decreasing codes.
ANALOG INPUT BANDWIDTH is a measure of the frequencyat which the reconstructed output fundamental drops3 dB below its low frequency value for a full scale input. Thetest is performed with fIN equal to 100 kHz plus integer multiplesof fCLK. The input frequency at which the output is −3dB relative to the low frequency input signal is the full powerbandwidth.APERTURE JITTER is the variation in aperture delay fromsample to sample. Aperture jitter shows up as input noise.APERTURE DELAY See Sampling Delay.BOTTOM OFFSET is the difference between the input voltagethat just causes the output code to transition to the firstcode and the negative reference voltage. Bottom Offset isdefined as EOB = VZT–VRB, where VZT is the first code transitioninput voltage and VRB is the lower reference voltage.Note that this is different from the normal Zero Scale Error.CONVERSION LATENCY See PIPELINE DELAY.CONVERSION TIME is the time required for a completemeasurement by an analog-to-digital converter. Since theConversion Time does not include acquisition time, multiplexerset up time, or other elements of a complete conversioncycle, the conversion time may be less than theThroughput Time.DC COMMON-MODE ERROR is a specification which appliesto ADCs with differential inputs. It is the change in theoutput code that occurs when the analog voltages on the twoinputs are changed by an equal amount. It is usually expressed in LSBs.
