High bandwidth and input impedance electro-optic probe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9804473-B2
Application number	US-201314133390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2013
Priority date	Dec 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

An electro-optic modulator of a test and measurement system. The electro-optic modulator includes a first electrode, a second electrode with identical electrical characteristics as the first electrode and an optical waveguide between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode and the second electrode present a balanced load to a device under test.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electro-optic modulator of a test and measurement system, comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode with identical electrical characteristics of the first electrode; and
an optical waveguide between the first electrode and the second electrode,
wherein ends of the second electrode and the first electrode are unterminated causing the first electrode and the second electrode to resonate when an electrical input is received.

2. The electro-optic modulator of claim 1 , wherein the electro-optic modulator is a Mach-Zehnder modulator.

3. The electro-optic modulator of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is comprised of two halves, wherein half of the second electrode is adjacent to one side of the first electrode and the other half of the second electrode is adjacent to the other side of the first electrode.

4. The electro-optic modulator of claim 3 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises two light branches, each light branch located between each half of the second electrode and the first electrode.

5. The electro-optic modulator of claim 1 , wherein each of the second electrode and the first electrode are segmented into multiple portions.

6. The electro-optic modulator of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode and the first electrode are located within a guard.

7. The electro-optic modulator of claim 1 , wherein the electro-optic modulator is included an accessory head within a test and measurement system, the test and measurement system further including:
a device under test;
a controller connected to the accessory head; and
a test and measurement instrument connected to the controller.

8. The electro-optic modulator of claim 1 , further comprising two bias electrodes to set a bias point of the electro-optic modulator.

9. The electro-optic modulator of claim 8 , wherein the two bias electrodes are similar construction to the first electrode and the second electrode.

10. The electro-optic modulator of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode and the second electrode present a balanced high impedance load to a device under test.

11. The electro-optic modulator of claim 10 , wherein the balanced high impedance load is greater than one megaohm.

Assignees

• Tektronix Inc

Inventors

• Mende Michael J
• Booman Richard A

Classifications

• G02F1/0123

  Circuits for the control or stabilisation of the bias voltage, e.g. automatic bias control [ABC] feedback loops · CPC title

• G02F2001/212

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F1/0121 Primary

  Operation of devices; Circuit arrangements, not otherwise provided for in this subclass · CPC title

• G01R15/241

  using electro-optical modulators, e.g. electro-absorption (probes containing electro-optic elements G01R1/071) · CPC title

• G02F1/225 Primary

  in an optical waveguide structure · CPC title