Patent ID: 7049843
Filing Date: 2006-05-23
Classification: G01R,H01S

Abstract:
1. A signal acquisition probing system using electro-optic detection for sensing an electrical signal from a device under test comprising: an optical transmitter generating a coherent optical signal; a micro-cavity laser having an optical gain cavity formed with two vertical cavity surface emitting lasers disposed between opposing optically reflective materials that receives the optical signal from the optical transmitter and generates first and second polarized optical outputs whose polarization states are orthogonal to each other, and an optical resonant cavity having electro-optic material disposed between opposing optically reflective materials with one of the optically reflective materials being a common reflective material with one of the optical reflective materials of the optical gain cavity that receives the first and second polarized optical outputs from the optical gain cavity; first and second electrically conductive electrodes receiving the electrical signal from the device under test with each of the first and second electrically conductive electrodes being formed in at least a portion of the electro-optic material generally parallel to the first and second polarized optical outputs propagating within the electro-optic material, the first and second electrically conductive electrodes being oriented along an axis bisecting the polarization states of the first and second polarized optical outputs; an optical transmission system optically coupled to the optical transmitter, micro-cavity laser and an optical receiver providing the optical signal from the optical transmitter to the micro-cavity laser and providing first and second polarized frequency modulated optical signals to the optical receiver representing the electrical signal from the device under test derived from the device under test electrical signal creating an electro-magnetic field distribution in the electro-optic material that overlaps the optical path of the first and second polarized optical outputs propagating in the electro-optic material, which varies the index of refraction of the electro-optic material in the optical path; and the optical receiver generating an output electrical signal from the first and second polarized frequency modulated optical signals from the micro-cavity laser.