A new type of variable beam splitter at optical frequencies is proposed. The basic structure of the device utilizes a tapered velocity coupler which is composed of a center slab waveguide of constant-thickness, constant-index type and two identical outer slab waveguides of constant-thickness, variable-index type. The coupler is assumed to be fabricated on a LiNbO3 substrate, whith an external electric field applied in parallel with the optical axis. The numerical results obtained with the finite difference method show that a wide range of splitting ratios can be obtained with moderate drive voltages and that the splitting characteristics are stable over a wide range of frequencies.

A new polarization splitter at optical frequencies is proposed. The basic structure of the device is a tapered velocity coupler which is composed of a straight and a dimensionally tapered slab waveguide on a LiNbO3 substrate. The numerical results obtained with the finite difference method indicate that extinction ratios of polarization less than 2% for both TE and TM modes are possible of realization under moderate control voltages and that the splitting characteristics are stable over a wide range of frequencies.

This paper presents the successful performance of an optical waveguide phase controller for microwave signals generated by heterodyne photodetection. A 22 optical waveguide structure with four optical phase shifters was fabricated on a LiNbO3 substrate. As a result of heterodyne photodetection of two optical signals from wavelength-tunable laser diodes, two microwave signals at 585 MHz were generated and phase shifted in the manner of electro-optical phase retardation. The monolithic waveguide structure allowed linear phase shifting more than 1800 degrees. Similar phase shifting performances were also confirmed over a wide microwave frequency range from 300 MHz to 1.3 GHz. The optical waveguide structure demonstrated here will be applicable to fiber-optic fed microwave systems such as a phased array antenna.

Recent progress in high-speed semiconductor devices and integrated circuits (ICs) has outpaced the conventional measuring and testing instruments. With advent of ultrashort-pulse laser technology, the electro-optic sampling (EOS) technique based on the Pockels effect has become the most promising solution way of overcoming the frequency limit, whose bandwidth is approaching a terahertz. This paper reviews recent progress on the research of the EOS technniques for measuring ultrahigh-speed electronic devices and ICs. It describes both the principle of the EOS and the key technologies used for noncontact probing of ICs. Internal-node measurements of state-of-the-art high-speed ICs are also presented.