Sample-and-Hold Amplifiers

Sample-and-hold amplifiers freeze analog voltage instantly. During this process the HOLD command is issued and analog voltage is available for an extended period. In analog-to-digital conversion, the importance of using a sample-and-hold amplifier chip (SHA chip) with a successive-approximation analog digital converter (ADC) is emphasized. In fact, if the input voltage to be digitized is varying, a sample-and-hold amplifier chip is mandatory. ADCs with more precision cannot give their advertised accuracy without a sample-and-hold amplifier chip. Its basic function is to transform input continuous signals into discrete time signals and amplify them. There are two types of SHA chips, high SHA chips and low SHA chips. The basic function of both is the same but power consumption is more in high SHA chips than in low SHA chips. Sample-and-hold amplifier chips are commonly available.