Index of reference types (bandgap/adjustable shunt/buried-Zener/XFET/CMOS, nano-power, wide-temp/VIN, high-voltage, low-drift/ovenized, rad-tolerant), application-focused refs (SAR/ΔΣ ADC, DAC, AFE, PLL/VCO/clock, sensors/bridges, DDR, imager/display), peripherals (buffers/dividers/virtual grounds/noise networks/remote sense), trim/calibration & health, automotive/industrial/safety modules, and design hooks.
Reference Types & Traits
Series Bandgap Reference
Low-power, wide VIN, strong line/load regulation; ideal as ADC/DAC/LDO reference rails.
Shunt Adjustable (TL431-Class)
Two-terminal with wide dynamic current—easy precision thresholding and error-amp loops.
Buried-Zener Reference
Ultra-low noise/TC and superior long-term drift for metrology and calibration sources.
XFET / CMOS Precision Reference
Lower noise density and higher PSRR—great for portable/battery precision fronts.
Nano/Micro-Power Reference
nA–µA Iq with duty-cycled wake/sampling for IoT and wearables.
Wide-Temp / VIN Reference
Auto/industrial temp ranges, transient/cold-crank immunity and UVLO behavior.
High-Voltage Bias Reference
Tens to hundreds of volts with soft-clamp/shutdown for displays/sensors.
Low-Drift / Low-Noise Reference
≤1–3 ppm/°C with standout 0.1–10 Hz noise for precision measurement chains.
Ovenized Reference
Micro-oven control for ultra-low TC and long-term stability—bench calibrators.
Rad-Tolerant / Space-Grade
TID/SEE protections, latch-up suppression and wide-temp packaging.
Application-Focused References
SAR ADC Reference
High transient drive with fast charge/discharge, low source-Z and switch-spike suppression.
ΔΣ ADC Reference
Very low wideband noise, strong PSRR/thermal stability; use with dedicated buffers.
DAC Reference & Buffer
Low-noise/TC with source-sink capability, no overshoot and code-error suppression.
AFE / Instrumentation Reference
Low TC and output-Z with remote sampling and line-loss compensation.
Ref for PLL / VCO / Clock
Wideband PSRR and ultra-low phase-noise coupling with fast start/reset.
Sensor / Bridge Excitation
Accurate V/I refs with temp tracking and ratio-metric measurement friendliness.
DDR Vref / Mid-Reference
Tight accuracy/TC, fast transient response and minimized noise injection.
Imager / Display Bias
Multi-bias rails with sequencing/soft-start, OV clamp and power-down hold.
Buffers, Dividers & Virtual Grounds
Reference Buffer / Driver
Low-noise/TC op-amps with source/sink headroom and capacitive-load stability.
Programmable Divider / Matrix
Remote Vref distribution with precision networks and temperature matching.
Rail-Splitter / Virtual Ground
Create pseudo dual-supply domains with good rejection under load asymmetry.
Noise Bypass & Ripple Rejection
Use bypass pins/RC networks to optimize 1/f and LF ripple vs thermal noise.
Remote Sense for Vref
Differential sense and line-loss compensation for long traces/backplanes.
Trim, Calibration & Health
Factory/Field Trim (Laser/OTP)
Trim initial error and temperature curves; support field re-calibration.
Digitally Programmable Reference
Set VOUT via I²C/SPI; thresholds/alarms, temperature readback and self-tests.
Reference + Temp Sensor Combo
Built-in temperature for compensation, drift estimation and health checks.
Drift Logger / Aging Monitor
Log drift events/thermal cycles with timestamps for traceability.
Auto / Industrial / Safety-Oriented
Automotive (ASIL-Oriented)
Diagnostic pins, fail-safe modes and cold-crank/load-dump immunity (AEC-Q).
Intrinsic-Safety / Isolated Systems
Energy limiting, pre/post-isolation consistency and fault-voting hooks.
Medical / Metrology-Grade
Ultra-low noise/TC, long-term stability with compliance and traceability.
Design Hooks
Error Budget
Combine initial accuracy, tempco (ppm/°C), long-term drift and line/load regulation.
Noise & PSRR
0.1–10 Hz noise, wideband density and PSRR-vs-frequency vs ADC/DAC SNR/ENOB.
Start-Up & Thermal Hysteresis
Cold-start time, pre-bias compatibility, thermal hysteresis and repeatability.
Load & Isolation
Stability under large steps; capacitive-load stable regions and buffer phase margin.
Layout & Grounding
Kelvin connections, star-grounds, shielding/leakage control and thermal spacing.
Package & Thermal Path
SOT/DFN/ceramic choices, θJA estimates, gradients and self-heating drift.
Aging & Re-Calibration
Re-cal intervals, oven/chamber strategies and online calibration hooks.
