Built-off self-calibration scheme for ADCs based on shifting transfer-characteristics

Mismatched circuit components in analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) caused by imperfect fabrication processes significantly degrade the ADC performance, and there have been various attempts to address this by carrying out on-chip ADC calibration. However, calibration accuracy suffers from the defects of on-chip circuitry (called design-for-calibration (DfC) circuits) designed to facilitate those calibration processes, which are introduced by variations in the manufacturing process.