Optimum partitioning of analog and digital circuitry in mixed-signal circuits for signal processing

Advances in digital signal processing (DSP) technologies have resulted in an increased proportion of signal processing tasks being performed in the digital domain. However, increased interest in low-power circuitry and economic factors have placed pressure to minimize power dissipation and silicon area in such circuits. An examination of the relative strengths and weaknesses of analog versus digital circuits is made in this dissertation. Comparisons of power dissipation and silicon area based on fundamental limits and practical considerations as a function of signal bandwidth and dynamic range are made. The final objective is to determine the range of frequencies and dynamic range for which analog processing is more efficient than digital processing.;A monolithic analog video comb filter has been fabricated in 1.2-;This dissertation shows that considering only the power and area of the actual processing circuitry, signal processing tasks with modest (...