Nyquist-rate digital-to-analog converter architectures

Abstract

This article covers two popular types of Nyquist-rate digital-to-analog converters (DACs): the flash DAC and the serial DAC. Flash DACs perform their conversion in a single clock cycle and are typically designed to operate at high-speeds. Serial DACs convert the digital signal to an analog signal one bit at a time. Serial DACs trade the hardware complexity of a flash DAC for longer conversion times. In this article, three variations of flash DACs are introduced along with two serial DACs. Also the advantages and disadvantages for each architecture are discussed.