Low power integrate and fire circuit for data conversion

We have developed an adaptively biased Integrate and Fire (I&F) circuit to reduce the power consumption of our ADC replacement approach. Unlike conventional circuits this I&F consumes no standby power. Power consumed is input signal dependent and increases exponentially as the input approaches the set threshold value. We describe the circuit model and present an intuitive as well as mathematical model for the power savings. Results from the chip fabricated in AMI 0.6 µm technology are also presented.