Postgraduate Course: Sigma Delta Data Converters (MSc) (PGEE11114)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering | 
College | College of Science and Engineering | 
 
| Course type | Standard | 
Availability | Not available to visiting students | 
 
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) | 
Credits | 20 | 
 
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Engineering) | 
Other subject area | None | 
   
| Course website | 
None | 
Taught in Gaelic? | No | 
 
| Course description | This course will equip the student with an understanding of sigma-delta data converters at a theoretical and practical level.  The coursework makes a link between the digital signal processing concepts of sigma delta conversion and implementation in integrated circuit hardware. 
 
The course will briefly review the basics of discrete-time signals and systems, before looking at block diagrams and circuit implementations of modulator structures. Saturation, stability and limit cycle behaviour of modulator loops will be described and related to circuit structure. Non-ideal behaviour of modulators such as noise, matching, finite gain and settling will be related to circuit level implementations. 
 
The course will be illustrated throughout with MATLAB, Simulink and Cadence Verilog A examples linking to laboratory sessions and a design exercise issued at the start of semester. | 
 
 
Course Delivery Information
 |  
| Delivery period: 2014/15  Semester 2, Not available to visiting students (SS1) 
  
 | 
Learn enabled:  Yes | 
Quota:  None | 
 | 
 
Web Timetable  | 
	
Web Timetable | 
 
| Course Start Date | 
12/01/2015 | 
 
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) | 
 
 Total Hours:
200
(
 Lecture Hours 10,
 Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
 Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30,
 Summative Assessment Hours 2,
 Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
149 )
 | 
 
| Additional Notes | 
 | 
 
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) | 
 
  Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
 | 
 
| Exam Information | 
 
    | Exam Diet | 
    Paper Name | 
    Hours & Minutes | 
    
	 | 
  
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) |  | 2:00 |  |  
 
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes 
On completion of the course students will be able to: 
 
1. understand the operating principles of sigma delta converters 
 
2. choose the order, structure and coefficients of sigma delta modulators at a block level  
 
3. employ SIMULINK and MATLAB to simulate and design the modulator coefficients 
 
4. use Cadence to study non-ideal effects in modulators  
 
5. propose circuit implementations of modulators 
 
6. understand the range of applications of sigma-delta converters. | 
 
 
Assessment Information 
| Coursework (50%) Exam (50%) |  
 
Special Arrangements 
| None |   
 
Additional Information 
| Academic description | 
Not entered | 
 
| Syllabus | 
Lecture 1: Reminder of the basics of discrete-time signals and 
systems. 
Topics include: sampling, aliasing, interpolation, 
reconstruction, quantization modelled as noise, and the effects 
of sampling jitter. General block diagram of oversampled 
system (ADC and DAC, decimation and interpolation). 
Frequency domain representation of signals and noise. Fourier 
series, Fourier transforms and computer-based computational 
techniques, including the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), 
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), windowing and coherent 
sampling principles. Power spectral density (PSD). Averaging 
to reduce quantisation noise. Sincx. 
 
Lecture 2: The principles of delta-sigma modulation. 
Principle of oversampling to reduce the effects of quantization 
noise, followed by noise-shaping to enhance performance. 
Block diagram of 1st order modulator. Time-domain model 
using a first-order lowpass system then followed by a 
frequency-domain description. Z-transfer function of NTF and 
STF. In-band and filtered noise. Power of noise and signal, 
SNR formula. Quantiser gain. Limit cycles, idle tones and 
dither. Simulink examples. 
 
Lecture 3: Second order modulators 
Second-order modulator block diagrams. Z-transfer function of 
NTF, STF. MASH implementation. Single loop implementation. 
Comparison of 1st and 2nd order. Saturation. Dynamic range 
scaling equalisation at internal nodes. Limit cycles. Formula of 
SNR with modulator order and oversampling. Simulink 
examples. 
 
Lecture 4: Higher order modulators 
Higher-order block diagram. Implmentation of higher order 
modulator as MASH or single loop. Instability. General higher 
order modulator. Placement of zeros in NTF. 
Feedback/feedforward to improve THD. NTF comparison. 
Bandpass. Improvement of stability by multibit quantisation 
and feedback. Matlab SD toolbox for design. 
 
Lecture 5: Sigma-delta DAC 
Sigma-delta modulation in digital domain. DAC matching. 
Multi-bit DAC. Mismatch effects on linearity. Randomised 
selection of elements. Dynamic element matching (DEM). Data 
weighted averaging (DWA). Tones. Tree DEM. Multi-bit 
feedback in ADC. Switched capacitor output filter. kT/C noise. 
 
Lecture 6: Circuit Implementation of Modulators 
Switched capacitor implementation of 1st order and 2nd order. 
DAC requirements. Half delay and feedthrough integrators, 
settling. Choice of capacitor ratios. Dynamic range scaling 
equalisation at internal nodes Differential/single ended. 
Cadence Verilog A examples. 
 
Lecture 7: Transistor Level Implementation of Modulators 
OTA and Opamp implementations. Comparator 
implementations. Gm-C modulators. Power consumption 
optimisation. 
 
Lecture 8: Non-ideal effects in Sigma-delta modulators 
Matching, finite opamp gain, incomplete settling, 1/f and 
thermal noise. Effect on MASH, single loop etc. Cadence 
Verilog A examples. 
 
Lecture 9: Digital filter implementation 
Filter order choice related to loop order. Comb filters. 
Reduction in sample frequency. Hardware requirements. Filter 
transfer function design. FIR, IIR filter implementation. Raised 
Cosine. Elliptic/Chebyshev. Decimation and interpolation filters. 
Power consumption/gate area. 
 
Lecture 10: Modulator Applications 
Frequency synthesizers, audio recording, Class-D audio, high 
frequency modulators. Multi-standard comms. Gm-C 
implementations. State of the art (p358-359 Schreier) 
 
Lecture 11: Guest lecture. | 
 
| Transferable skills | 
Not entered | 
 
| Reading list | 
Understanding Sigma-Delta Data Converters, Schreier and 
Temes, IEEE Press, ISBN 978-0-471-46585-0 | 
 
| Study Abroad | 
Not entered | 
 
| Study Pattern | 
One lecture per week. One tutorial every two weeks. A laboratory session every two weeks. | 
 
| Keywords | Sigma-delta, delta-sigma, analogue to digital, digital to analogue, integrated circuits | 
 
 
Contacts 
| Course organiser | Dr Robert Henderson 
Tel: (0131 6)50 5645 
Email: Robert.Henderson@ed.ac.uk | 
Course secretary | Mrs Sharon Potter 
Tel: (0131 6)51 7079 
Email: Sharon.Potter@ed.ac.uk | 
   
 
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© Copyright 2014 The University of Edinburgh -  29 August 2014 4:28 am 
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