Current-steering digital-to-analog converter / Programmable sub-bandgap voltage reference with split input code [articol]

Abstract

In this paper we will offer a concrete solution of a DAC which will be used in high speed and medium resolution applications. This DAC presents an important innovation as the voltage reference does not represent a distinct block, but it overlaps the functional diagram of the converter. This was considered to be of current-steering type with MOS transistors in standard CMOS technology like in most of the recent works. The new solution also implies the splitting in two equal parts of the digital input code applied to the converter. This will drastically diminish the number of large dimension transistors used in the current sources of the converter.