Method for measuring the frequency response of a transimpedance amplifier packaged with an integrated limiter

摘要

An integrated device having a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) cascaded with a limiter can be tested such that the frequency response of the TIA is accurately measured. The frequency response of the TIA is derived from the measured output jitter response of the integrated TIA/limiter device. In a practical testing system, a sinusoidal test signal having a constant amplitude is combined with a broadband noise signal having a constant power level to obtain a noisy test signal. The TIA/limiter is driven by the noisy test signal while the frequency of the test signal is varied. The output jitter of the TIA/limiter is measured for a number of frequency settings to obtain the output jitter response.