This paper presents a Class-D piezoelectric speaker driver that employs a quadrature feedback chopping scheme (QCS). Compared to a conventional single feedback chopping scheme (SCS), the use of QCS can eliminate the timing skew between low-voltage (LV) and high-voltage (HV) choppers, greatly improving large-signal linearity. A prototype implemented in a 180nm BCD process achieves a peak THD+N of 88dB/-92.5dB for a 1kHz/6kHz input frequency and 37μ VR MS output noise (A-weighted) while driving a 4μ F load. Thanks to QCS, the large-signal THD+N has been improved by 29 dB, while the output voltage swing achieving -60dB THD+N has been extended from 86.9% to 99.5% of the full-scale (FS).

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Class-D amplifiers (CDAs) are widely used in audio applications where a high power efficiency is required. As most audio sources are digital nowadays, implementing digital-input CDAs results in higher levels of integration and lower cost. However, prior open-loop digital-input CDAs suffer from high jitter sensitivity and output-stage distortion. In [1], jitter sensitivity at small signal levels is mitigated using a buck-boost converter that adaptively lowers the supply at the expense of extra external components and reduced power efficiency. Prior closed-loop digital-input CDAs employing multi-bit current-steering [2] or resistive [3] DACs are less sensitive to jitter, but their DR is limited to about 115dB. DAC non-idealities and intermodulation distortion are also challenges, and prior works only achieved a peak textTHD+N of about -98textdB [2], [3]. This paper presents a digital-input CDA that achieves high DR by combining a low-noise capacitive DAC (CDAC) with dedicated techniques to mitigate DAC mismatch, lSI, and intermodulation distortion. A prototype implemented in a 0.18mum BCD process achieves 120.9dB DR and -111.2textdB peak textTHD+N. Furthermore, it can deliver 13W/23W at 10% THD into an 8Omega/4Omega load with a 90%/86% efficiency.

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This article presents a class-D amplifier (CDA) with high dynamic range (DR). To eliminate the typically dominant noise contribution of a resistive feedback network, the input and feedback signals are chopped and applied to a capacitive feedback network. However, this leads to high-voltage (HV) transients at the input of the loop filter, which, due to timing and impedance mismatch in the chopped feedback network, could degrade linearity and even overstress low-voltage (LV) core devices. Robust processing of the HV chopped feedback signal is guaranteed with chopper timing skew correction, chopper impedance matching, and deadbanding. The prototype, implemented in a 180-nm bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) process, achieves 121.4 dB of DR, 5.9 dB higher than state-of-the-art closed-loop CDAs, and 8-μVRMS output-referred noise (A-weighted). It also achieves a peak total harmonic distortion (THD) + N of -109.8 dB and a peak efficiency of 93%/88% while driving 15 W/26 W into an 8-4-Ω load.

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This article presents a Class-D audio amplifier for capacitive piezoelectric speaker loads. Employing a dual voltage feedback (VFB)/current feedback (CFB) topology, the amplifier is capable of damping LC resonance without using an external damping resistor, therefore reducing system power consumption, cost, and size. Additional power savings are achieved by using a push–pull (PP)-modulated output stage. To mitigate linearity degradation due to the mismatch of the feedback resistors, they are dynamically matched by employing choppers. The prototype, taped out in a BCD 180-nm process, can drive up to 4 μ F load with a peak current of 4.4 A while achieving an idle power consumption of 122 mW and a peak THD + N of − 91 dB.@en