Sample and Hold

In electronics, a sample and hold (S/H, also "follow-and-hold") circuit is an analog device that samples (captures, grabs) the voltage of a continuously varying analog signal and holds (locks, freezes) its value at a constant level for a specified minimal period of time. Sample and hold circuits and related peak detectors are the elementary analog memory devices. They are typically used in analog-to-digital converters to eliminate variations in input signal that can corrupt the conversion process.

A typical sample and hold circuit stores electric charge in a capacitor and contains at least one fast FET switch and at least one operational amplifier. To sample the input signal the switch connects the capacitor to the output of a buffer amplifier. The buffer amplifier charges or discharges the capacitor so that the voltage across the capacitor is practically equal, or proportional to, input voltage. In hold mode the switch disconnects the capacitor from the buffer. The capacitor is invariably discharged by its own leakage currents and useful load currents, which makes the circuit inherently volatile, but the loss of voltage (voltage drop) within a specified hold time remains within an acceptable error margin.

In the context of LCD screens, it is used to describe when a screen samples the input signal, and the frame is held there without redrawing it. This does not allow the eye to refresh and leads to blurring during motion sequences, also the transition is visible between frames because the backlight is constantly illuminated, adding to display motion blur.