Performance trends for analog to digital converters

Analog-to-digital converters are key components of signal processing systems, and may even dictate system architectures due to their limitations on sampling rate and resolution. The state of the art for ADCs, including both experimental converters and commercially available parts, is reviewed. The data imply that the performance measure, P=2/sup SNRbits//spl middot/f/sub samp/, uncertainty in the sampling process (aperture jitter) over a very wide range of sampling rates. For ADCs operating at multi-GSPS rates, the speed of the device technology is also a limiting factor (due to comparator ambiguity). Technological progress as measured by P is discussed.