Design, simulation, and implementation of an integrated, hybrid photocurrent-to-digital converter in CMOS technology

This article presents a design, modeling, simulation, and measurements of a hybrid photocurrent-to-digital converter integrated together with photo-diodes in a 130 nm CMOS process, without any additional process steps. Photo-currents of integrated photo-diodes with different responsivities to different wavelength of the light and light intensity are converted into 22-bits digital results in 2 ms. The results can then be converted into CIE XYZ or RGB color luminosity space using dedicated DSP algorithm. A high resolution, hybrid, ADC converts light induced photo-currents into 22-bit digital results, canceling the dark current of the photodiodes and 1/f noise and offset voltage of the input stage of the modulator. The whole converter consumes on average less than current at supply voltage at 10 conversions per second. It occupies approx. 0.8 mm2 of silicon area, including the three photodiodes, a multiplexer, and the ΣΔ modulator.