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Optical Pump Rectification Emission: Route to Terahertz Free-Standing Surface Potential Diagnostics.
L Peters1, J Tunesi1, A Pasquazi1
1Emergent Photonics Lab (EPic), Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK.
Scientific Reports
|August 31, 2017
Summary
We developed Optical Pump Rectification Emission to diagnose semiconductor electric surface potential using terahertz (THz) generation. This method tracks surface field dynamics by screening photo-carriers, offering a new diagnostic tool.
Area of Science:
- Solid-state physics
- Materials science
- Surface science
Background:
- Semiconductor surface potential is crucial for device performance.
- Existing methods for surface potential diagnosis have limitations.
- Understanding surface states is key to semiconductor device optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel method for diagnosing semiconductor electric surface potential.
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of surface potential using THz generation.
- To provide a technique potentially insensitive to bulk carrier dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Optical Pump Rectification Emission (OPRE) for THz field generation.
- Employing surface optical rectification of ultrashort pulses.
- Screening the DC surface potential with a second optical pump pulse.
- Observing temporal dynamics of the static surface field induced by photo-carriers.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated THz generation directly from the semiconductor surface.
- Successfully screened the DC surface potential using photo-carriers.
- Observed temporal dynamics related to surface states and photo-carrier screening.
- The method shows potential for bulk carrier insensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Optical Pump Rectification Emission is a viable method for diagnosing semiconductor electric surface potential.
- The technique offers insights into surface state dynamics.
- This approach provides a new, potentially geometry-independent, diagnostic tool for semiconductors.
