All-electronic free-space picosecond pulse generation and detection

An all-electronic system for generating, propagating and detecting picosecond electromagnetic pulses using monolithic integrated circuits is described. With a 1.8 ps (10%–90%) nonlinear transmission line step generator driving a monopole antenna for transmission and a similar antenna driving a diode sampler for reception, the system has shown spectral coverage from 90 to 170 GHz.