Electro-optical imaging of electric fields in silicon sensors

Abstract A conceptual set-up for measuring the electric field in silicon detectors by electro-optical imaging is proposed. It is based on the Franz-Keldysh effect which describes the electric field dependence of the absorption of light with an energy close to the band gap in semiconductors. Using published data for silicon, a measurement accuracy of 1 to 4 kV/cm is estimated. The set-up is intended for determining the electric field in radiation-damaged silicon detectors as a function of irradiation fluence and particle type, temperature and bias voltage. The overall concept and the individual components of the set-up are presented.