Sample and hold

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In electronics, a sample and hold circuit is used to interface real-world signals, by changing analogue signals to a subsequent system such as an analog-to-digital converter. The purpose of this circuit is to hold the analogue value steady for a short time while the converter or other following system performs some operation that takes a little time.

In most circuits, a capacitor is used to store the analogue voltage, and an electronic switch or gate is used to alternately connect and disconnect the capacitor from the analogue input. The rate at which this switch is operated is the sampling rate of the system.

In a sample and hold circuit the switch opens for a very short duration, while in a track and hold circuit the switch can be opened continuously. The sample and hold circuit integrates for a short duration charge into a capacitor, a track and hold circuit tracks the signal precisely and this does not change on hold [1]. A sampling oscilloscope includes a voltage source to calibrate its sample and hold circuit. Track and hold relies on OpAmps and thus was historically limited to the audio range, but as of 2008 they are available up to 10 MHz^{[citation needed]}. Sample and hold circuits use back to back Schottky diodes or diode rings and special pulse shaping lines to drive these switches and historically reached to 1 GHz, and as of 2008 the reach to 20 GHz^{[citation needed]}.

Sample times.

Sample and hold.

The necessity of such a circuit is easy to see if one considers what would happen if it were not present. In some kinds of ADC for example, the input is often compared to a voltage generated internally from a digital-to-analog converter. The circuit tries a series of values, and stops converting once the voltages are "the same" within some defined error margin. If the input value was permitted to change during this comparison process, the resulting conversion would be inaccurate, and possibly completely unrelated to the true input value. Such successive approximation ADCs will often incorporate internal sample and hold circuitry.

Sample and hold circuits are often used when multiple samples need to be measured at the same time. Each value is sampled and held, using a common sample clock. The values can then be read at leisure.

In order that the input voltage is held constant for all practical purposes, it is essential that the capacitor has very low leakage, and that it is not loaded to any significant degree which calls for a very high input impedance.