Sampling for Oscilloscopes and Other RF Systems: DC Through X-Band

Sampling techniques have long been used on periodic waveforms to achieve wide bandwidths in oscilloscopes and other applications. The sampling oscilloscope, which is the electrical equivalent of the optical stroboscope, operates by sampling the voltage amplitude at progressively later points on successive cycles of a repetitive waveform. The state-of-the-art in sampling is the 4 GHz bandwidth presently available in sampling oscilloscopes . The purpose of this paper is to present the design requirements for extending this broadband sampling technique through X-band and then to describe one solution to the problem.