Phase noise contribution to the precision of differential non-linearity estimation in analog-to-digital converters using the code density test

Analog-to-digital converters, as all electronic circuits, are subject to numerous non ideal phenomena. Here we focus on the effect of phase noise on the standard deviation of the estimation of differential nonlinearity of analog to digital converters estimated using the code density test. An analytical expression is presented for the use in choosing the number of samples to use to achieve a given bound in the estimation precision or, after a test, to determine the confidence interval associated with a given estimation of differential nonlinearity. A Monte Carlo type analysis is carried out to validate the analytical expressions presented.