Abstract

We present the application of an electrooptic probe to the study of semiconductor carrier physics. We used a 2-D electrooptic imaging system to monitor the surface electric field between the electrodes on photoconductive switches during the switch operation. The surface field is related to the internal field in the switch and is influenced by the presence of carriers in the switch gap. Maps of the surface field can provide information on the internal field structure and carrier behavior. Our electrooptic imaging system can obtain 2-D maps of the electric field above a semiconductor switch surface in real time and can capture transient changes in the field on a picosecond time scale.

© 1990 Optical Society of America