Testing High-Frequency Electronic Signals With Reflection-Mode Electroabsorption Modulators

Author

Van Tuyl, Rory L. ; Höfler, Gloria E. ; Ritter, Robert G. ; Marshall, Todd S. ; Zhu, Jintian ; Billia, Luca ; Clifford, George M. ; Gong, William ; Bour, David P.

Author_Institution

Agilent Technol., Santa Clara, CA

Volume

54

Issue

12

fYear

2006

Firstpage

4556

Lastpage

4564

Abstract

Remote testing of microwave signals to 25 GHz and digital signals to 12.5 Gb/s is demonstrated through fiber-optic cables. Reflection-mode electroabsorption modulators are used as high-impedance transducers to measure voltage and inject current. Transducers are imbedded in wafer probes, printed circuit probes and microwave packages for various applications including sensing incident and reflected microwave signals, probing serial data streams on printed circuit boards, probing digital and microwave monolithic integrated circuits, and performing time-domain reflectometry. Principal advantages of this technology are that it allows test equipment to be located at large distances from the devices being tested and that broadband signals can be remotely observed with little distortion

Keywords

electro-optical modulation; integrated optoelectronics; optical cables; optical links; transducers; 12.5 Gbit/s; 25 GHz; Signal remote testing; digital measurements; digital signals; electric variables measurement; fiber-optic cables; high-impedance transducers; integrated circuit measurements; microwave monolithic integrated circuits; microwave packages; microwave signals; printed circuit boards; printed circuit probes; pulse measurements; reflection-mode electroabsorption modulators; scattering parameters measurement; serial data streams; test equipment; time-domain reflectometry; wafer probes; Circuit testing; Current measurement; Electronic equipment testing; Microwave devices; Optical fiber cables; Optical fiber devices; Optical fiber testing; Printed circuits; Probes; Transducers; Digital measurements; electric variables measurement; electroabsorption; integrated-circuit (IC) measurements; pulse measurements; scattering parameters measurement; time-domain reflectometry; transducer;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9480

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TMTT.2006.884668

Filename

4020496