Diminishing relative jitter in electrooptic sampling of active mm-wave and THz circuits

In this work a novel approach in synchronization of electrooptic sampling systems for the ultra-broadband characterization of active mm-wave and THz devices is presented. The relative time jitter between sampled circuit and probing electrooptic head is eliminated by using a femtosecond laser system both as the generator of CW driving the device under test as well as the impulsively probing element. Previous ultra-broadband approaches were applicable to passive components driven by THz impulses, only. The presented system is more generally applicable to active mm-wave and THz components driven by conventional CW electronic sources. Broadband analysis on silicon nonlinear transmission line elements up to a frequency of 300 GHz is presented in order to illustrate the capabilities of the concept.