20 GHz optical waveguide sampler

Picosecond pulses have been produced from the CW output of a He-Ne laser using a microwave-modulated optical waveguide interferometer formed in Ti-indiffused LiNbO
3
. An experimental frequency spectrum demonstrating 97 percent modulation is presented along with theoretical predictions for the spectral components of signals produced by both ideal nonideal devices. A device modulated with 1 W of power at 10 GHz exhibited a spectrum corresponding to a train of 19 ps FWHM pulses produced at a repetition rate of 20 GHz. Applications of the device in signal processing operations utilizing sampling and demultiplexing schemes are discussed.