Cross-correlation noise measurements in A/D converters

This paper describes a new technique which allows measuring time-varying noise of (analog-to-digital) A/D converters more accurately than may be possible with traditional test equipment. A previous work demonstrated that the effects of the quantization and nonlinearities on the jitter measurement may be overcome by measuring the noise distribution function. This paper presents a dual-channel technique based on the measurement of the distribution function of the cross-correlated noise between the two channels. The technique is still independent of quantization and nonlinearities. Moreover, it allows separating the noise contribution of the test setup from the converter noise.