Market for an A/D converter with 150dB dynamic range?

DigitalSignal · 2006-10-11T17:53:50+00:00

I posted a similar question in the group but did not getthe answer.I wonder if there is a market for an A/D converter with very highdynamic range, say 150dB. I thought it might be useful because it caneliminate the needs for multiple-gain front end.By 150dB dynamic range I mean an A/D converter that can practicallymeasure a large signal as high as a few volts, and within the same timeperiod it can detect a signal as small as a few nano volts. To clarify,when I say "within the same time period", it does not necessarily meanat the exact same sample points.Say if we sample a frame of signal with 1024 points. The first a fewhundred points have magnitude as high as a few volts while the last afew hundred points can go as low as a few nano-volts. This is how Idefine the dynamic range.We do not talk about theoretical dynamic range. For a 24bit A/Dconverter, the theoretical dynamic range is 6.02 dB/bit * N bits =144dB. This definition is not very useful. We all know a 24bit A/Dusually has only 110dB dynamic range due to analog limitation.The question is: do you see a market or application for such kind ofA/D converter if somebody got the products?