“Multi-GSPS Nyquist DACs” – Dr. Gabriele Manganaro (MediaTek)

Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs) serve as the backbone of modern signal synthesis, bridging the digital and physical worlds. They are the critical enablers for a vast array of applications, ranging from multi-gigabit wireless and wired communications to precision instrumentation, medical imaging, and next-generation defence systems.

This course provides a comprehensive guide to the dominant architectures, with a primary focus on high-speed current-steering designs and emerging switched-capacitor DACs. Through an intuitive, interactive approach, the curriculum synthesizes theoretical concepts and state-of-the-art implementation, guiding participants from first principles to modern design techniques.

Core content includes:

• Architectural Fundamentals: Examine foundational principles and basic circuit implementations of high-speed DACs.

• Impairment Analysis: Identify key performance impairments and evaluate their impact on output signal purity.

• Advanced Mitigation Techniques: Implement circuit calibration techniques and layout strategies used to overcome non-idealities and push performance limits.

• Design Trade-offs: Analyse cutting-edge silicon-proven examples to understand the critical trade-offs between speed, power, and linearity.

This course integrates interactive lectures with rigorous practical application. Participants will develop both an intuitive and quantitative understanding of how underlying circuit behaviours translate to DAC performance in both the time and frequency domains. Detailed case studies, industry-standard layout/floorplanning strategies, and advanced simulation methodologies reconcile system-level architecture with silicon-level reality.

To solidify learning, the course features targeted homework assignments designed to bridge the divide between theoretical derivation and practical design. These optional assignments include Spectre simulations and behavioural modeling to characterise circuit dynamics against design calculations.

Two dedicated sessions are reserved for high-impact, real-world design projects tailored to the stringent requirements of wireless and high-speed wired communication. These projects will empower designers to apply the concepts covered in the regular lectures into functional designs. These sessions are augmented with practical simulation techniques, best-in-class design practices, and an analysis of common design pitfalls to avoid in silicon.

A working knowledge of analog IC design is required for this course. While the curriculum offers seasoned engineers a chance to reinforce their mastery and provides system architects with a deep dive into practical implementation, it is perfectly tailored for emerging engineers and research students seeking to launch a specialised career in high-performance data conversion.