Digital holography for spatially resolved analysis of the semiconductor optical response

We present spatially resolved measurements of the below-band-gap carrier-induced absorption and concurrent phase change in a semiconductor with the help of transmission digital holography. The application is demonstrated for a bulk GaAs sample, while the holograms are recorded with a conventional CMOS sensor. We show that the phase information enables spatially resolved monitoring of excess carrier distributions. Based on that, we discuss a phase-based approach for separation of carrier and heat related effects in the semiconductor optical response.