US 5,670,871 AGranted

Polymeric film electrooptic sensor device

OwnerHong-Tai Man, Iain A. McCulloch +1inventors

InventorsHong-Tai Man, Iain A. McCulloch, Hyun-Nam Yoon

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Abstract

This invention provides an electrooptic sensor device which is adapted to measure micro-circuit electrical signals with subpicosecond resolution. The sensor device has an electrooptic organic polymer film matrix. The sensor device is positioned adjacent to an electrical signal transmission line of a micro-circuit, and within a fringe electric field of the transmission line. Birefringence is induced in the electrooptic polymer film matrix by the fringe electric field generated by a propagation electrical signal in the transmission line. An optical probe beam of focused electrical signal-synchronized laser pulses of picosecond range duration is beamed into the birefringent polymer film matrix, and the output laser pulses are processed to provide an optical profile measurement of the electrical signal.

Claims18

Dependent claims

In an electrooptic sensor device using a Pockels effect for measuring electrical signals with subpicosecond resolution, the improvement which comprises (1) an optically-transparent thin support substrate;

(2) an optically-transparent electrically-conductive coating on a support substrate surface, with means for electrical grounding of the conductive coating;
and (3) an optically-transparent electrooptic organic polymer film matrix which is in coextensive contact with the surface of the conductive coating opposite to said support substrate;
wherein the device is adapted for positioning adjacent to an electrical signal transmission line and within a fringe electric field of the transmission line, and wherein the refractive index of the electrooptic polymer film modulates by Pockels effect in response to the fringe electric field produced by a transmission line electrical signal, and the electrooptic polymer film is adapted for passage of an optical probe beam of focused electrical signal-synchronized laser pulses of picosecond range duration in a direction transverse to the direction of said electric field, and the output laser beam pulses are processed to provide an optical profile measurement of the electrical signal, wherein said electrooptic organic polymer is a noncentrosymmetric matrix of an electric field poled side chain polymer which has a number average molecular weight between about 250,000-1,000,000 and is characterized by inter-chain entanglements.

A method for measuring an electrical signal propagating in a micro-circuit conductor with subpicosecond resolution by means of an electrooptic device sensing of a fringe electric field formed by the propagating electrical signal, which method comprises (1) juxtaposing an optically-transparent electrooptic organic polymer film matrix of the electrooptic device adjacent to the micro-circuit substrate so that the fringe electric field creates a Pockels effect birefringence in the polymer film matrix, (2) passing through the polymer matrix an optical probe beam of focused electrical signal-synchronized laser pulses of picosecond range duration in a direction transverse to the direction of said electric field, and (3) processing the output laser beam pulses to provide an optical profile measurement of the electrical signal;

wherein the electrooptic sensor device comprises (a) an optically-transparent thin support substrate;
(b) an optically-transparent electrically-conductive coating on a support substrate surface, with means for electrical grounding of the conductive coating;
and (c) the optically-transparent electrooptic organic polymer film matrix which is in coextensive contact with the surface of the conductive coating opposite to said support substrate;
wherein said electrooptic organic polymer is a noncentrosymmetric matrix of an electric field poled side chain polymer which has a number average molecular weight between about 250,000-1,000,000 and is characterized by inter-chain entanglements.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.