460-GHz electro-optic sampling using a nonlinear polymer film

Electric field poled, nonlinear polymers promise to allow researchers to create unique. new integrated electrooptic (EO) devices. The combined properties of large optical nonlinearity, photodefinable index of refraction, and low optical loss has already allowed for the creation of optical modulators. Due to the low dielectric constant of polymers, traveling wave devices with favorable optical and electrical wave velocity matching have also been predicted.2 We describe a femtosecond EO sampling experiment in which a nonlinear polymer is used as the probe material and is demonstrated to have an EO response bandwidth of at least 460 GHz.