Photocurrent measurements for laterally resolved interface characterization.

A miniaturized optical set-up based on a CD-ROM player optic was developed for LAPS (light addressable potentiometric sensors). A focus of 2.6 microm was achieved using this easy to handle device. The lateral resolution of LAPS measurements can be improved by using GaAs as the semiconductor material instead of Si. The diffusion length of the minority charge carriers was determined to be smaller than 3.1 microm. A new method called SPIM (scanning photo-induced impedance microscopy) is described. Using this technique, the impedance of thin films can be measured with lateral resolution.