A Configurable Resolution Time-to-Digital Converter with Low PVT Sensitivity for LiDAR Applications

Abstract

This paper presents an all-digital and configurable resolution time-to-digital converter (TDC) with low process–voltage–temperature (PVT) sensitivity for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) applications. The proposed TDC offers configurable resolution, allowing it to provide an appropriate conversion resolution according to the system’s requirements, thereby optimizing overall system performance. In addition, because the proposed TDC has high immunity to process–voltage–temperature (PVT) variations, it provides more stable time-converting results. The proposed design uses 0.18 μm CMOS technology, and the measurement results demonstrate a resolution ranging from 36 ps to 1193 ps, with a conversion range from 0.1 ns to 36 ns and an average error of 20.59 ps. Furthermore, the proposed TDC is implemented in an all-digital manner, making it highly suitable for system integration.