Data Sheet
TERMINOLOGY
Total Harmonic Distortion
Total harmonic distortion (THD) is defined as the ratio of the
square root of the sum of the squares of the harmonic values to
the value of the fundamental input frequency. THD is expressed
in percent (%) or decibels (dB).
THD is a measure of the magnitude and distribution of linearity
error and differential linearity error. The distribution of these
errors may be different, depending on the amplitude of the output
signal. Therefore, to be most useful, THD should be specified for
both large and small signal amplitudes.
Settling Time
Settling time is the time required for the output to reach and
remain within a specified error band about its final value, mea-
sured from the digital input transition. Settling time is the primary
measure of dynamic performance.
Dynamic Range
The dynamic range specification indicates the ratio of the small-
est signal that the converter can resolve to the largest signal it is
able to produce. As a ratio, it is usually expressed in decibels (dB).
AD1856
The theoretical dynamic range of an n-bit converter is approx-
imately (6 × n) dB. In the case of the 16-bit AD1856, that is
96 dB. The actual dynamic range of a converter is less than the
theoretical value due to limitations imposed by noise, quantiza-
tion error, and other errors.
Bipolar Zero Error
Bipolar zero error is the deviation in the actual analog output
from the ideal output (0 V) when the twos complement input
code representing half scale (all 0s) is loaded into the input
register.
Differential Linearity Error
Differential linearity error is the measure of the variation in
analog value, normalized to full scale, associated with a 1 LSB
change in the digital input. Monotonic behavior requires that
the differential linearity error not exceed 1 LSB in the negative
direction.
Monotonicity
A digital-to-analog converter is monotonic if the output either
increases or remains constant as the digital input increases.
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