At+t Corp.

Ulrich D Keil

George J Zydzik

Rose Fasano Kopf

Edward J Laskowski

Douglas R Dykaar

A new electro-optic sampling probe with femtosecond resolution suitable for ultra-fast electro-optic sampling. The new probe is several times thinner and has a dielectric constant four times less than the best reported conventional bulk LiTaO.sub.3 probes. In addition, the ultimate bandwidth is 50 percent greater than an equivalent LiTaO.sub.3 probe. The probe is a thin film of Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As used in both total internally reflecting and free-standing geometries. Here x is chosen for sufficient transmission of the crystal to the wavelength of the laser source being used for electro-optic sampling. The thickness of the film is a small fraction of the thickness of prior art probes and is chosen, for speed and sensitivity of electro-optic sampling, to be thin compared to the spatial extent of the laser pulse. The thin film probe eliminates many of the problems associated with the use of bulk crystals as electro-optic sensors.

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Warren, NJ, United States of America

Ulrich D Keil