Non-destructive optical techniques for characterizing semiconductor materials and devices

In the information age, communications technology depends on the efficient manufacture of photonic and electronic devices. Optical testing promotes manufacturing efficiency by controlling the quality of incoming materials, providing rapid feedback for process improvements, and analyzing why a product has failed. New, non-destructive optical techniques are being used to measure key properties of semiconductor materials and devices. Optical mapping reveals defective regions in various types of wafers, as well as in semiconductor-based lasers and detectors used in AT&T's lightwave communication systems. New optical testing techniques include optical beam-induced reflectance (OBIR), whose signals are used to map silicon, and spatially resolved photoluminescence (SRPL), which performs high-resolution mapping of III-V semiconductor materials.