A Non-linearity Correction Method for Fast Digital Multi-Channel Analyzers

Fast digital multi-channel analyzers (FDMCA) which based on flash ADCs have been intensively used recently. The FDMCA is different from traditional MCAs which based on Wilkinson ADCs. The non-linearity, including the integral non-linearity (INL) and differential non-linearity (DNL), mainly arising from flash ADCs, degrade the accuracy of fast digital MCAs. To improve the non-linearity of FDMCA, a practical off-line correction method has been proposed in this paper. The non-linearity features of the FDMCA system is obtained by a special measurement previously. In light of that the non-linearity of a system is inherent; the non-linearity can be eliminated by comparing the data between the general measurement and the special one.