The reference should be similarly bypassed with a 0.1µF
capacitor. Again, a series resistor and large capacitor can be
used to low-pass filter the reference voltage. If the reference
voltage originates from an op amp, make sure that it can
drive the bypass capacitor without oscillation (the series
resistor can help in this case). The ADS7841 draws very
little current from the reference on average, but it does place
larger demands on the reference circuitry over short periods
of time (on each rising edge of DCLK during a conversion).
LAYOUT
For optimum performance, care should be taken with the
physical layout of the ADS7841 circuitry. This is particu-
larly true if the reference voltage is low and/or the conver-
sion rate is high.
The basic SAR architecture is sensitive to glitches or sudden
changes on the power supply, reference, ground connec-
tions, and digital inputs that occur just prior to latching the
output of the analog comparator. Thus, during any single
conversion for an n-bit SAR converter, there are n “win-
dows” in which large external transient voltages can easily
affect the conversion result. Such glitches might originate
from switching power supplies, nearby digital logic, and
high power devices. The degree of error in the digital output
depends on the reference voltage, layout, and the exact
timing of the external event. The error can change if the
external event changes in time with respect to the DCLK
input.
The ADS7841 architecture offers no inherent rejection of
noise or voltage variation in regards to the reference input.
This is of particular concern when the reference input is tied
to the power supply. Any noise and ripple from the supply
will appear directly in the digital results. While high fre-
quency noise can be filtered out as discussed in the previous
paragraph, voltage variation due to line frequency (50Hz or
60Hz) can be difficult to remove.
The GND pin should be connected to a clean ground point.
In many cases, this will be the “analog” ground. Avoid
connections which are too near the grounding point of a
microcontroller or digital signal processor. If needed, run a
ground trace directly from the converter to the power supply
entry point. The ideal layout will include an analog ground
plane dedicated to the converter and associated analog
circuitry.
With this in mind, power to the ADS7841 should be clean
and well bypassed. A 0.1µF ceramic bypass capacitor should
be placed as close to the device as possible. In addition, a
1µF to 10µF capacitor and a 5Ω or 10Ω series resistor may
be used to low-pass filter a noisy supply.
ADS7841
14
SBAS084B
TI [ TEXAS INSTRUMENTS ]
