Design and evaluation of a versatile picosecond light pulser

Many experimental setups, such as for the calibration of photosensors, require light sources with sub-nanosecond timing precision. We present the design and evaluation of a brightness controlled, picosecond light pulser based on an avalanche transistor pulse driving circuit. It can be used with a large variety of LEDs and VCSELs, enabling usage over a wide wavelength range, with light curves as short as ~100 ps standard deviation.