what is digital comparators
Digital comparators are integrated circuits (ICs) that compare the magnitude of two binary quantities and determine the relationship of those quantities. There are two basic types of digital comparators: identity comparators and magnitude comparators. Identity comparators indicate whether two inputs are equal. Magnitude comparators indicate whether two inputs are equal and, if they are not, which input is larger or smaller. Typically, digital comparators are used to compare an input voltage to a reference voltage. Logic circuits that incorporate multiple individual comparators are able to characterize large groups of input signals. Digital comparators may be operated in synchrony with a clock or asynchronously, incorporating sufficient gain to force the output signal into saturation.