A high-performance GaAs pin electronics chip for high-speed general purpose ATE

A GaAs pin electronics circuit with a driver, window comparator, and programmable load has been integrated on a single chip. The driver has a variable amplitude of 0 to 7 V, a variable rise/fall time of 250 ps to 5 ns, and a 50 ohm output impedance. The driver has a real-time, high impedance tristate mode (inhibit) which disconnects and reconnects on the fly at rates equal to the data rate (>1 Gb/s). Additionally, the voltage compliance of the driver in tristate mode exceeds the high and low output levels by any amount within the -4 V to 7 V compliance window. Pattern-dependent delay is typically less than 50 ps. The two comparators operate over the same compliance window with a dispersion in propagation delay of less than 200 ps for an overdrive of greater than 100 mV.<>