A 9-psec differential lens-less digital-to-impulse radiator with a programmable delay line in silicon

In this paper, a lens-less digital-to-impulse radiator is implemented that radiates impulses with EIRP of 10dBm and a record pulse-width of shorter than 9psec using an on-chip differential inverted cone antenna. It is shown that the starting time of the radiated impulses can be locked to the edge of the input trigger with high timing accuracy. A digitally programmable delay line is implemented and used at the input of the radiator. The delay line has a resolution step of 150fs and a dynamic range of 400ps. It is shown that by programming the delay line, the starting time of the radiated impulses in the air can be controlled.