Solid-State Optical Temporal Analyzer with Picosecond Resolution and Picowatt Sensitivity

Picotronix Inc. will integrate the world's fastest photodetector with an equally fast optoelectronic sampling gate to develop the "Solid State Optical Temporal Analyzer with Picosecond Resolution and Picowatt Sensitivity." The combination of 1-ps response, 1-pW/Hz sensitivity, and 100 dB dynamic range obtained simultaneously in a 1 cm-size, robust, all-solid-state detector represents a major leap forward in the measurement of high speed optical signals. It will be sensitive to 1 nm (2 keV x-rays) through 1600 nm radiation. Applications include: compact optical ranging for micron-resolution 3-D imaging; automobile sensors; and novel ultrafast scientific instrumentation. The technique of time-gated imaging of a dispersed picosecond optical pulse as it emerges from a scattering medium will be demonstrated. The ability to image a 1-mm size object buried within a scattering medium will have a profound impact of early, x-ray-free detection of breast tumors.