Abstract

In recent years, the performance of high speed electronic and optoelectronic devices has surpassed the measurement capabilities of conventional instrumentation. At the same time, progress in ultrashort light pulse generation has continued to evolve and today subpicosecond laser systems are not uncommon. By combining very short optical pulses with the electro-optic effect in GaAs, we have developed a sampling probe suitable for non-contact characterization of high speed monolithic GaAs integrated circuits.¹ The circuits can be excited either by on-board photodetectors for impulse response measurements or by external signal generators, phaselocked to the laser pulse train, for swept frequency measurements.

© 1985 Optical Society of America