A field-programmable-gate-array based high time resolution arbitrary timing generator with a time folding method...

Area of Science:

• Electronics
• Digital Systems
• Instrumentation

Background:

• Accurate timing generation is crucial for various scientific and engineering applications.
• Existing arbitrary timing generators often face limitations in time resolution and dead-time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high time resolution arbitrary timing generator using field-programmable gate-array (FPGA) resources.
• To achieve non-dead-time timing sequence generation with picosecond resolution.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a carry-chain based arbitrary timing generator on FPGA resources.
• Utilizing two alternative carry-chains for non-dead-time sequence generation.
• Employing four parallel carry-chains for "time folding" to enhance time resolution.

Main Results:

• Achieved a time resolution of 45.3 ps with a minimum pulse width of 383 ps using two carry-chains.
• Improved time resolution to 11.3 ps by using four parallel carry-chains.
• Demonstrated high time stability with uncertainty below 12 ps over a wide time range (1 ns-10^8 ns).

Conclusions:

• The developed FPGA-based arbitrary timing generator offers superior picosecond time resolution and stability.
• The "time folding" technique effectively enhances timing precision.
• This generator is suitable for producing continuous spike timing sequences with exceptional accuracy.