integral non-linearity (INL)
The integral nonlinearity (INL) is a characteristic value of A/D converters and D/A converters. It describes the error between the actual quantized value and the ideal value.
Since the quantizations can take place with a time offset, the quantized values deviate from the theoretical value at each sampling. For the ideal value, each sample has the same time offset from the previous value. The connecting line between the samples thus corresponds to a straight line. In contrast, the actual sampling points deviate from each other in time. The connecting line is a nonlinear function. The integral nonlinearity is specified as the number of least significant bits( LSB) or in fractions thereof.
In addition to integral nonlinearity, converters also have the characteristic value of differential nonlinearity( DNL).