A 10 Gsps 8 bit digital-to-analog converter with a built-in self-test circuit

We present a 10 Gsps 8 bit digital-to-analog converter （DAC） with a novel built-in self-test （BIST） circuit, which makes it possible to evaluate the DAC＇s performance without a complicated test setup. Design con- siderations and test results are included. According to the test results, the DAC core and the BIST circuit are able to work under 10 GHz. The chip is fabricated in 0.18μm SiGe HBTs with ft of 100 GHz. The DAC core occupies a die size of 260 × 250μm^2.