Novel Electro-Optic Sampling System with an Optoelectronic Phase-Locked Phase Shifter as a Delay-Time Controller

Abstract

An inherently delay-time-tunable pulsed laser diode controlled by a voltage-adjusted optoelectronic phase shifter is employed to realize a novel electro-optic sampling system without use of a conventional opto-mechanic delay line. The maximum scanning speed, time, responsivity, and resolution of the optoelectronic delay line are 100 points/s, 3.6 ns (1.8 periods), 0.54 ns/V, and 0.2 ps, respectively. The waveform-sampling of a sinusoidal signal at 500 MHz and an electrical pulse with 91.5-ps full-width at half-maximum generated from a microwave oscillator and comb generator, respectively, are reported with measurement error of less than 5%.