Low-power 3-bit piezoelectric MEMS analog to digital converter

Abstract

This paper reports on a novel MEMS analog to digital converter (ADC) designed within a low-power, piezoelectric MEMS based digital logic process. The 3-bit ADC achieves full operation without the use of additional solid-state circuitry, allowing it to operate with minimal, 3.83 pW, static power dissipation. In addition, two piezoelectric property exploiting operational modes are presented. These increase the total effective number of bits and the system range without increasing the device area.