Experimental investigations on a stacked analog-to-digital converter configuration for a high dynamic range HF receiver

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) typically limits the sensitivity of wideband receivers for Software Defined Radio (SDR) or Cognitive Radio (CR) applications in the presence of a strong interfering signal. A Stacked ADC configuration - two or more parallel ADCs, each with a different drive level - promises an increased dynamic range of the analog-to-digital interface. Based on simulation and measurement results, the paper will discuss the capability of the Stacked ADC configuration with respect to the characteristic of the interfering signal.