External electro-optic integrated circuit probing

Abstract

An external electro-optic measurement system with subpicosecond resolution has been developed. This electro-optic sampling system is designed to operate as a non-contact probe of voltages in electrical devices and circuits with modified wafer-level test equipment and no special circuit preparation. Measurements demonstrate the system's ability to probe continuous and pulsed signals on microwave integrated circuits on arbitrary substrates with single-micron spatial resolution. We also discuss the application of external electro-optic sampling to various aspects of time-domain circuit studies, including the generation of short electrical test pulses using novel photoconductive techniques and the propagation of pulses on interconnects.