13GHz On-chip Oscilloscope with Sub-picosecond Resolution Using Asynchronous Clock

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a small area sampling head combined with an asynchronous sub-sampling technique which exhibits similar performance to an expensive laboratory oscilloscope. The sampling head utilizes dual track and hold circuits implemented in a 65nm SOI process. The samples are clocked asynchronously at low frequency, and the timebase is reconstructed to produce sub-picosecond timing resolution. The hardware demonstrates a bandwidth of 13GHz and dissipates 15mW of power. Measurement of a 15Gb/s eye diagram and a slower transient bit pattern is demonstrated