Intermixing optical and microwave signals in GaAs microstrip circuits for phase-locking applications

The microwave modulation of the interference generated by optical beams that are reflected from the top and bottom surfaces of GaAs substrate adjacent to a microstrip line is studied. The detected modulation is used to directly characterize the electrooptic effect. This optical-microwave intermixing technique is applied to phase-lock a free-running microwave oscillator with picosecond laser pulses. One potential application of this technique is for the optical on-wafer characterization of MMICs (monolithic microwave integrated circuits).<
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