A 4 V, ns-range pulse generator for the test of Cherenkov Telescopes readout electronics

We present in this paper the design, fabrication and verification of a ns-range pulse generator based on a Step Recovery Diode (SRD). This device needs only a 5 V DC power supply, delivers 1 ns pulses with peak amplitudes in excess of 4 V and features state of the art jitter figures. In addition, the pulser contains a trigger channel. The long standing problem of the SRD simulation via circuital analysis is addressed. It is shown that the dynamic properties of the Step Recovery Diode can accurately be reproduced via a small signal circuital simulation for the rise times needed in a ns-range pulser. It is also demonstrated that strong inaccuracies in the pulse shape prediction are obtained if the wave propagation through the lines typically used in this type of circuits is simulated by a simple Transverse Electromagnetic Mode (TEM) line model. Instead, it is necessary to account for non-TEM effects. By means of broadband resistive power splitters and high dynamic range amplifiers, a prototype of 4 channels was also fabricated. This prototype is particularly useful for testing the readout electronics of Cherenkov Telescopes, but additional applications to other large-scale experiments are expected, any of those where calibration or verification with compact ns-range pulsers featuring low jitter, large dynamic ranges and multichannel operation is needed. In addition, the fabrication cost of this pulser is almost negligible as compared with bulky, commercially available waveform generators, which rarely deliver ns pulses in excess of 3 V. Furthermore, the small size of the pulser presented here and its low power consumption allow an easy integration into more complex systems.