Electro-optic field mapping system utilizing external gallium arsenide probes

External electro-optic probes fabricated from two different crystal orientations of GaAs have been implemented in an electro-optic sampling system that is capable of mapping three independent orthogonal components of free-space electric fields. The results obtained for the radiated field from a microstrip patch antenna by the GaAs probes are compared with results on the same antenna obtained using bismuth silicate and lithium tantalate probes. An 8 μm spatial resolution has also been demonstrated for the electro-optic field-mapping system, and the capability for the system to measure field patterns at frequencies up to 100 GHz has been shown.