| This thesis describes an ultrafast electro-optic imaging system that can measure the spatial and temporal evolution of electric fields on an electronic or optoelectronic device. A nonlinear optical crystal that exhibits Pockels (linear electro-optic) effect is used as an electric field transducer. An ultrafast ({dollar}approx{dollar}100 fs) pulsed laser probes refractive index perturbations caused by Pockels effect, and the resulting beam is analyzed by either an interferometer or polarimeter. The output of the analyzer is imaged by a charge-coupled-device camera, then digitized and analyzed on a personal computer.; The motivation for this work is discussed, followed by an historic perspective of the methods used for electric field mapping, and a review of competing technologies. The characteristics of modelocked lasers are reviewed, as is the electro-optic effect. Polarimetric and interferometric analyzers are examined, to determine which has the potential for greater signal sensitivity. The optical system and data acquisition hardware and software are discussed in detail. Finally, we discuss results obtained with the present system, and propose how these capabilities can be enhanced. |
