Ultrafast-ultrafine probing of high-speed electrical waveforms using a scanning force microscope with photoconductive gating

Picosecond photoconductivity in low-temperature-grown GaAs (LT GaAs) has been used to provide temporal resolution both in rigid probes and in scanning force microscope probes. This article reviews the fabrication and use of such probes. 2.5 ps temporal resolution and few microvolts sensitivity are obtained at arbitrary points on circuits with a spatial definition of 100 nm. Rigid probes are tested in application to analogue and digital circuits. As an alternative to electron beam testing, scanning force probes are applied to in situ imaging and waveform measurement. Finally, the use of time-resolved waveform analysis with scanning-force microscopy probes with semiconductor laser sources is demonstrated.