Switched-capacitor track-and-hold amplifier with low sensitivity to op-amp imperfections

Abstract

This paper describes a high-precision switchedcapacitor (SC) track-and-hold amplifier (THA) stage. It uses a novel continuous-time correlated double sampling (CDS) scheme to desensitize the operation to amplifier imperfections. Unlike earlier predictive-CDS THAs, the circuit does not need a sample-and-held input signal for its operation. During the tracking period, an auxiliary continuous-time signal path is established, which predicts the output voltage during the holding period. This allows accurate operation even for low amplifier gains and large offsets over a wide input frequency range. Extensive simulations were performed to compare the performance of the proposed THA with earlier circuits utilizing CDS. The results verify that its operation is far more robust than that of any previously described THA.