| We present a new method which uses redundant comparators with large voltage offsets to design Flash ADCs for input signals with well-known statistics. By framing the problem as a network graph and writing it as a Linear Program, the optimal set of active comparators can be determined for minimizing the quantization noise. This method allows comparator offset standard deviations to increase from an average of 1 LSB in current designs to > 6 LSB. The solution to the Linear Program is a power-efficient optimal quantizer which we will show has many benefits in modern applications, such as in the implementation of autonomous spike-sorting systems. |
