Application of picosecond optoelectronics in broadband microwave material measurements

A new technique characterizing the dielectric properties of materials is presented. Broadband antenna structures are used to radiate and receive electromagnetic transients from optoelectronically generated picosecond electrical pulses. The received waveforms are recovered by photoconductive sampling. The system is used to determine the complex dielectric constants of materials from 15 GHz to 140 GHz, in a single experiment.