Abstract

Subpicosecond electrooptic sampling for characterization of fast electrical waveforms has recently been demonstrated.^1,2 In this system a Cr-doped GaAs photoconductive detector served as the signal source; the signal was coupled onto a balanced stripline in which the dielectric material consisted of lithium tantalate. The signal induced a transient birefringence which was detected by a beam of CPM-generated 100-fsec laser pulses focused between the electrodes. Valdmanis et al. showed that by reducing the dimensions of the stripline and the probe beam spot size the temporal resolution of the sampler could be correspondingly reduced. The smallest stripline that could be fabricated had a thickness of 100μm and resulted in a temporal resolution of 500 fsec.

© 1984 Optical Society of America