Broadband Photoconductive Sampling in Gallium Phosphide

Abstract

Direct measurements of the electric field of light enable new observations of light–matter interactions. In the near-infrared and visible spectral ranges, this typically relies on techniques that exploit nonlinearities in gases or solids, which limits their sensitivity. Here, a method for the detection of broadband near-infrared fields spanning more than one octave from 110 to 220 THz based on linear absorption in a semiconductor is demonstrated. This technique, which avoids complex vacuum setups and works under ambient conditions, employs linear photoconductive sampling (LPS) in gallium phosphide. Simulations reveal that the response function of LPS is concerned with the intensity envelope of the gate field, in contrast to electro-optic sampling, relaxing the stringent temporal requirements on the gate pulse.