Time-Domain Characterization of Silicon-Based Integrated Picosecond Impulse Radiators

A direct time-domain characterization of silicon-based integrated picosecond impulse radiators using a femtosecond laser-gated optoelectronic sampling technique is developed. In the proposed system, a 1550 nm femtosecond laser source is used to generate an electrical trigger signal fed to a picosecond impulse radiator, and another synchronized 1550 nm femtosecond laser source is used to gate a photoconductive detector. Technical challenges are addressed to synchronize the silicon radiators with the optoelectronic sampling system. This paper presents the details of the proposed technique and characterization of 4.8 ps impulses radiated by a custom silicon chip.