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Statistical Characterization of High-Speed Oscilloscopes and Photodiodes

Contact Jack Wang
Statistical Engineering Division
Information Technology Laboratory
303-497-3843
jwang@boulder.nist.gov
Impetus/How Project Began SED staff began a collaboration with the EEEL Optoelectronics Division staff in 1998 to develop statistical signal processing methods for analysis of time-domain optoelectronic response measurements. Optoelectronic devices are critical for high bandwidth measurements of high performance optical fiber systems. A photodiode converts an optical signal into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is detected with a high speed equivalent time sampling oscilloscope. Both the photodiode and oscilloscope have impulse response functions which distort the signal of interest.
Objective(s) As part of a interdisciplinary team including staff from the Optoelectronics and the Radio Frequency Technology Divisions of EEEL, SED staff are developing statistical methods and associated software for calibration of high-speed digital sampling oscilloscopes and characterizing the impulse response of photodiodes. Statistical tasks include:
  • development of estimation methods and algorithms for timebase distortion estimation and correction,
  • drift estimation,
  • signal alignment, and
  • timing jitter estimation.
FTE This information is not available.
Timeline/
Milestones
FY98. Compare existing timebase distortion estimation methods and signal alignment routines.
FY99. Develop a least-squares timebase distortion estimation procedure.
FY00. Propose a method for calculating the uncertainty of timebase distortion estimates.
FY00. Develop and compare methods for jitter estimation.
NIST Involvement NIST collaborators include:
  • Paul Hale (Optoelectronics Division, EEEL),
  • Tracy Clement (Optoelectronics Division, EEEL),
  • Donald DeGroot (Radio Frequency Division, EEEL),
  • Kevin Coakley (SED), and
  • Jack Wang (SED).
Outside Involvement Agilent Technologies Inc. has collaborated with Optoelectronics and Radio Frequency Technology Divisions on high-speed and nonlinear network measurement projects. Kevin Coakley has visited Agilent Belgium and Santa Rosa sites to discuss collaboration and technology transfer.
What Work Has ITL Done We have developed statistical methods and associated software used in a measurement system for sampling oscilloscopes (up to 50 GHz) to correct signals for systematic errors due to timebase distortion, drift and jitter.
What Work Has Been Done By Collaborators Optoelectronics Division staff has implemented experimental and computational procedures for estimating the magnitude and phase response of a sampling oscilloscope (up to 50 GHz) using the nose-to-nose method. These procedures include methods for correcting electrical mismatch, timebase distortion, drift, and jitter. Results are compared to the response obtained from a calibrated heterodyne system, and they differ by less than 0.1 dB up to 25 GHz and less than 1.0 dB at 50 GHz.
What Developments Have Occurred and How Has the Project Changed Nothing to report.
Publications or Artifacts The following publications are related to this project.

Wang, C. M., Hale, P. D., and Coakley, K. J., "Least-squares estimation of time-base distortion of sampling oscilloscopes", IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 48 (6), 1999, pp. 1324-1332.

Hale, P. D., Clement, T. S., Coakley, K. J., Wang, C. M., DeGroot, D. C., and Verdoni, A. P., "Estimating the magnitude and phase response of a 50 GHz sampling oscilloscope using the nose-to-nose method", Proceedings of the International Microwave Symposium Automatic RF Techniques Group, June 2000.

Coakley K.J. and Hale P. D., "Alignment of noisy signals", in revision for IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement.

Hale, P. D. and Wang, C. M., "Heterodyne system at 850 nm for measuring photoreceiver frequency response", Proceedings of Optical Fiber Measurement Symposium, September 2000.

Clement, T. S., Hale, P. D., Coakley, K. J., and Wang, C. M., "Time-domain measurement of the frequency response of high-speed photoreceivers to 50 GHz", Proceedings of Optical Fiber Measurement Symposium, September 2000.

Wang, C. M., Hale, P. D., and Coakley, K. J., and Clement, T. S., "Uncertainty of oscilloscope timebase distortion estimate", submitted to IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement.

How Industries Have Benefited From NIST's Work Industries that will benefit from this work are involved in the following technologies: Gigabit Ethernet networks, Fibre Channel, CATV, satellite TV, tethered microwave antennaes, optical telecommunications, optical components and test equipment, SONET/SDH (synchronous optical network/synchronous digital hierarchy industry) and Wireless.
Acknowledgements of the ITL's Effort ITL's involvement is acknowledged through coauthorship of publications.
Future Related Activities Experimental work will be extended to higher wavelengths. We will develop a statistical method to estimate the overall uncertainty of the estimated power and phase spectrum of the oscilloscope and photodiode impulse response functions. Time domain measurements will be compared to heterodyne measurements.
Additional Information A more detailed write-up of this project is in the SED annual report (yellow book).

Date created: 6/5/2001
Last updated: 6/21/2001
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