Time stretched millimeter waves using novel 1.55 /spl mu/m broadband polymer modulators

Summary form only given. Time stretching of electrical signals as described in has been identified as a possible solution to the limited bandwidth of electronic analog to digital converters (ADCs). However, the use of LiNbO/sub 3/ modulators in these systems has limited the maximum frequency of the signal to be stretched to approximately 12 GHz. Polymer traveling-wave modulators have demonstrated outstanding performance in terms of bandwidth and have begun to be implemented in critical photonic functions. Using their superior speed, these modulators can significantly enhance the overall lime stretch system bandwidth. To demonstrate this we have fabricated traveling-wave polymer Mach-Zehnder modulators from a new material, PC/CLD, which has exhibited reduced optical losses at 1.55 /spl mu/m together with increased optical nonlinearity. Sinusoids ranging in frequency from 3 3 to 61.8 GHz were stretched into the band ranging from 8.5 to 13 GHz. These results represent a significant extension of the input bandwidth of time stretchers and offers major extensions of optical ADCs.