 Differential nonlinearity

Differential Nonlinearity (DNL) is a term used primarily in the context of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs). It quantifies how much the actual output of a converter deviates from the ideal output, specifically focusing on the difference between consecutive output levels in the digital representation. In an ideal converter, each step of the output should correspond to a fixed and equal change in the input.