Abstract

The rapid progress in high-speed silicon electronic devices has created the need for new measurement technologies. For maximum utility, these techniques must exhibit wide bandwidth, accurate signal reproduction, and minimal circuit loading. In recent years, a number of measurement methodologies have been investigated.¹ Because optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) is forbidden in centrosymmetric media, it is an attractive technique for studying perturbations such as electric fields that lower the symmetry.² In particular, several investigations have highlighted the ability to detect electric fields in silicon,^3-5 thus suggesting the possibility of measuring transient electric fields propagating on silicon-integrated circuits. We demonstrate, we believe, the first direct measurement of a picosecond electrical pulse using surface SHG. The present scheme is readily applicable to silicon-based circuits without the need for any external crystals or probes and can, therefore, be used to examine high-density integrated circuits.

© 1996 Optical Society of America