Optical methods of the delay cells characteristics measurements and their applications

Robert Frankowski,Przemysław Płóciennik,Maciej Gurski

doi:10.1007/s11082-016-0465-6

Robert Frankowski, Przemysław Płóciennik + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-016-0465-6

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Abstract

The only efficient optical spectrum measurement in infra-red range for low light regime is based on time multiplexing. Typically low timing jitter of the single photon detector combined with fast and high precision electronics is used for photon arrival time measurement. The timing histogram can be used to determine the spectrum of the photons. The better time detection accuracy allows to obtain the more precise spectrum information. This paper proposed an optical method for the sub-picosecond time-to-digital converters characterization prefer to optimize the multi-tapped delay lines implementation process, thus yielding the converters with much improved parameters.

Highlights

IntroductionSince last 10 years, many different techniques of using Tapped Delay Lines (TDL) to measure the sub-nanosecond time intervals has been used for the construction of various types the Time-to-Digital Converters (TDC) implemented in Field-Programmable-GateArray (FPGA) structures (Zielinski et al 2004; Kalisz 2004)
This paper proposed an optical method for the sub-picosecond time-to-digital converters characterization prefer to optimize the multi-tapped delay lines implementation process, yielding the converters with much improved parameters
Since last 10 years, many different techniques of using Tapped Delay Lines (TDL) to measure the sub-nanosecond time intervals has been used for the construction of various types the Time-to-Digital Converters (TDC) implemented in Field-Programmable-GateArray (FPGA) structures (Zielinski et al 2004; Kalisz 2004)

Summary

Introduction

Since last 10 years, many different techniques of using Tapped Delay Lines (TDL) to measure the sub-nanosecond time intervals has been used for the construction of various types the Time-to-Digital Converters (TDC) implemented in Field-Programmable-GateArray (FPGA) structures (Zielinski et al 2004; Kalisz 2004). Any with registered TSs delivers precise (depending on TCDL resolution) information about relative position of pulse in time In this case, the result of time-interval measurement (registered in direct coding register and converted from pseudo-thermometric code to the natural binary code) between two random in time incoming pulses, can be calculated by subtraction of two TSs according to the following equation: Dti 1⁄4 ðm À nÞsDL þ ðNk À NpÞTCLK ð1Þ where: n, m—indicates the number of delay cells where incoming pulses was registered; sDL—an coding delay line resolution; TCLK—the main clock period (used time scale); Nk, Np—indicates an integer number of appropriate standard clock cycles which are counted (in practical implementation) by two binary clock period counters (operating on the opposite signal edges) when leading pulse edges appear between the n-th and n ? Knowledge of such information allows to determining non-linearity parameters such as differential and integral nonlinearities (INL and DNL) and parameters of envelope functions (EF) and information about the TCDLs module random error distribution

Distribution of random errors

Noise level analysis

Differential and integral non-linearities

Principle of ADL and FDL realization

Experimental results

Summary and conclusions