What is DNL (differential nonlinearity)?

The error in each code step width of an ADC relative to the ideal 1 LSB. When it reaches −1 LSB, a missing code occurs.

Field: AD/DA conversion

DNL (differential nonlinearity) in the explanations

Questions that mention DNL (differential nonlinearity) (7)

  1. Which correctly describes the differential nonlinearity (DNL) of an AD converter?
  2. What is the AD converter defect called in which a certain output code never appears no matter how the input changes?
  3. Which is a characteristic of the current-steering architecture often used in high-speed DA converters?
  4. In the transfer characteristic of an AD converter, what is the error called when the output deviates from 0 at zero input?
  5. Which correctly describes the integral nonlinearity (INL) of an AD converter?
  6. What does it mean for a DA converter to be monotonic?
  7. In AD converter testing, what is the main purpose of inputting a slowly varying sine wave or similar and counting how often each output code appears (a histogram)?

Related terms

INL (integral nonlinearity) Missing code Comparator Aliasing Delta-sigma ADC ENOB (effective number of bits) Flash ADC Jitter Noise shaping Nyquist frequency

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