Ultra High Speed Analog to Digital Converter with Ternary Digital Output

72181S03-I In order to improve power consumption and reduce the pin count of analog-to-digital converters used as measurement instruments in nuclear physics experiments, this project will develop an ultra high-speed analog-to-digital converter as an integrated circuit with a reduced number of pins, low power consumption, and an extremely high data rate (potentially greater than 50 GB/s) for a ternary serial digital output. This integrated circuit will combine a flash analog-to-digital converter with a serializer/deserializer interface, integrated into a single mixed-signal chip. The integrated circuit will be compatible with existing analog-to-digital converters, reducing the complexity of the next generation data acquisition system. Phase I will design the architecture of the analog-to-digital converter, preserve the modular structure of the next generation data acquisition system, and guarantee expandability and upgrade-ability. Phase I also will include a computer simulation of the mixed-signal circuitry, estimating crosstalk and power consumption. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee: The integrated circuit should reduce complexity and improve performance of next generation data acquisition systems used in a variety of experiments at multiple government research facilities. Other applications include homeland security, wireless ground station, and medical image processing.