Photoresponse signals with widths as short as 1.5 ps are observed from epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7−δ  thin films using electro-optic sampling techniques. Voltage transients less than 2 ps wide are seen in 100- and 200-nm films exposed to 150-fs laser pulses and cooled to 79 K. At low bias currents, the amplitude of the fast response varies linearly with the bias current, suggesting a kinetic inductive mechanism. A negative transient about 15-ps long is also seen that may provide evidence for nonequilibrium recombination of excited quasiparticles into Cooper pairs. At high bias currents or large laser fluences, a fast tail with a decay time of about 10 ps appears in the response followed by a slow, resistive bolometric component due to sample heating. Nonequilibrium aspects of the photoresponse and the origin of the fast tail are discussed.

The picosecond electrical pulse-propagation characteristics of microchannel-plate detectors, used in diagnosing laser-driven inertial-confinement-fusion experiments, were measured with an electro-optic sampling system. We determined propagation velocity and signal distortion of the microchannel-plate microstrip, as well as its characteristic impedance and the substrate relative dielectric permittivity. These parameters are critical for proper calibration of the detectors and serve as a guide for their improved designs.