Rainbow Electronics ADC12040 - Manual (Page 18)

Applications Information
(Continued)
Generally, analog and digital lines should cross each other at
90˚ to avoid crosstalk. To maximize accuracy in high speed,
high resolution systems, however, avoid crossing analog and
digital lines altogether. It is important to keep clock lines as
short as possible and isolated from ALL other lines, including
other digital lines. Even the generally accepted 90˚ crossing
should be avoided with the clock line as even a little coupling
can cause problems at high frequencies. This is because
other lines can introduce jitter into the clock line, which can
lead to degradation of SNR. Also, the high speed clock can
introduce noise into the analog chain.
Best performance at high frequencies and at high resolution
is obtained with a straight signal path. That is, the signal path
through all components should form a straight line wherever
possible.
Be especially careful with the layout of inductors. Mutual
inductance can change the characteristics of the circuit in
which they are used. Inductors should not be placed side by
side, even with just a small part of their bodies beside each
other.
The analog input should be isolated from noisy signal traces
to avoid coupling of spurious signals into the input. Any
external component (e.g., a filter capacitor) connected be-
tween the converter’s input pins and ground or to the refer-
ence input pin and ground should be connected to a very
clean point in the analog ground plane.
Figure 7 gives an example of a suitable layout. All analog
circuitry (input amplifiers, filters, reference components, etc.)
should be placed over the analog ground plane. All digital
circuitry and I/O lines should be placed over the digital
ground plane. Furthermore, all components in the reference
circuitry and the input signal chain that are connected to
ground should be connected together with short traces and
enter the analog ground plane at a single point. All ground
connections should have a low inductance path to ground.
6.0 DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE
To achieve the best dynamic performance, the clock source
driving the CLK input must be free of jitter. Isolate the ADC
clock from any digital circuitry with buffers, as with the clock
tree shown in Figure 8.
As mentioned in Section 5.0, it is good practice to keep the
ADC clock line as short as possible and to keep it well away
from any other signals. Other signals can introduce jitter into
the clock signal, which can lead to reduced SNR perfor-
mance, and the clock can introduce noise into other lines.
Even lines with 90˚ crossings have capacitive coupling, so
try to avoid even these 90˚ crossings of the clock line.
7.0 COMMON APPLICATION PITFALLS
Driving the inputs (analog or digital) beyond the power
supply rails. For proper operation, all inputs should not go
more than 100 mV beyond the supply rails (more than
100 mV below the ground pins or 100 mV above the supply
pins). Exceeding these limits on even a transient basis may
cause faulty or erratic operation. It is not uncommon for high
20014816
FIGURE 7. Example of a Suitable Layout
20014817
FIGURE 8. Isolating the ADC Clock from other Circuitry
with a Clock Tree
ADC12040
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