Abstract

As a result of the wide use of electronic and optoelectronics devices, the need for efficient tool to characterize integrated circuits (IC) is growing up. Electron-beam-based test systems are widely used but require heavy work and technical effort. Thus it is beneficial to find out alternative easier ways for mapping electric field. Pockels effect has been used effectively to probe electric field in circuits.¹ Utilizing electric-field-induccd-second- harmonic-generation (EFISHG) to probe electric field intensity has been studied recently.^2-5 EFISHG measurement shows some advantages over EO sampling technique. The detection of EFISHG signal is easier than that of pockels effect. The dependence of the polarization in EFISHG measurement is helpful in making a mapping of the electric field vector. In addition, EFISHG measurement has the characteristic of background free and present no principle limitation from 0 to the breakdown voltage. Here we demonstrate a 3-dimensional electric-field visualization utilizing EFISHG effect in nematic liquid crystals. The visualization was easily achieved with a second-harmonic-generation (SHG) con- focal microscope with high spatial resolution on the order of or less than 1μm.

© 2002 Optical Society of America