System for direct measurement of the step response of electronic devices on the picosecond time scale

We have built a system capable of measuring the step response of III-V electronic devices on the picosecond time scale, with no alteration in device design or epitaxy. To switch on the device under test (DUT), we have designed and fabricated a new type of photoconductor, the recessed-ohmic photoconductor, which swings 0.45 V with a 2-ps rise time and maintains constant output voltage for 100 ps. This switch is monolithically integrated with the DUT. To measure the output current of the DUT, we have built a Ti:sapphire-laser-based pump-probe direct electro-optic sampling system that has a minimum detectable voltage of 70 microV/ radicalHz and a measurement bandwidth of 750 GHz. The overall system, comprised of the recessed ohmic photoconductor and the electro-optic sampling system, can be used to measure the step response of III-V electronic devices on the picosecond time scale.