Electro-electron oscilloscope
US5053696A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 20, 1988 |
| Grant date | Oct 1, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 20, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/0327
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system for time-resolving ultra-short electrical waveforms of up to a few hundred gigahertz bandwidth is presented. The system utilizes a fast electro-optic modulator capable of subpicosecond responsivity. A CW (continuous wave) laser is used to probe the change in birefringence resulting in the modulator due to an induced electric field. The rapid change in the transmitted optical signal due to an equally rapid changing electric field (picosecond pulse) is then detected and temporally dispersed using a picosecond resolution streak camera. The modulator operates in a region close to minimum transmission where the average optical power is below the damage threshold for the photocathode of the streak camera and where small electrical signals can significantly modulate the transmitted beam. The system can be used in either sampling mode where the modulation and subsequent detection are repeated and the data accumulated at repetition rates as high as 100 MHz or in single shot mode.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.