Detection of picosecond electrical pulses using the intrinsic Franz–Keldysh effect

We report time-resolved measurements of ultrafast electrical pulses propagating on a coplanar transmission line using the intrinsic Franz–Keldysh effect. A low-temperature-grown GaAs layer deposited on a GaAs substrate allows generation and also detection of ps pulses via electroabsorption sampling (EAS). This all-optical method does not require any external sampling probe. A typical rise time of 1.1 ps has been measured. EAS is a good candidate for use in THz characterization of ultrafast devices.

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