Basics of Sigma-Delta Modulation

Abstract

This chapter provides a basic introduction to sigma-delta modulation in general. It first discusses the use of sigma-delta modulation for analog-to-digital, digital-to-digital, and digital-to-analog conversion, after which the most popular sigma-delta structures are presented. A procedure for basic linear modeling of sigma-delta modulators is presented and it’s shortcomings are demonstrated. Because of the potentially large discrepancy between the by the model predicted results and the actual obtained results, time domain simulations are used in this book. Finally, a number of often used sigma-delta performance indicators are presented to set a basis for the comparison of different sigma-delta modulator realizations.