A device for characterizing a fluid medium with the help of a photoelectric transducer comprises at least one semiconductor substrate possessing at least one space charge zone and presenting a reception surface for receiving the fluid medium in order to constitute an interface between the substrate and the fluid medium, a production system for producing a spot light beam that is amplitude-modulated and that lights at least one zone of the interface through the fluid medium, a measurement system for measuring values of a photoelectric magnitude delivered while performing the lighting so as to create a matrix of values of the photoelectric magnitude, and a processor system for processing values of the photoelectric magnitude delivered by the measurement system and adapted to use the matrix to determine an electronic signature characteristic of the fluid medium.

A method for testing a lifetime of a surface state carrier of a semiconductor, including the following steps, 1) a narrow pulse light source is used to emit a light pulse, and coupled to an interior of a near-field optical probe, and the near-field optical probe produces a photon-generated carrier on a surface of a semiconductor material under test through excitation. 2) The excited photon-generated carrier is concentrated on the surface of the semiconductor material, and recombination is conducted continuously with a surface state as a recombination center. 3) A change in a lattice constant is produced due to an electronic volume effect, a stress wave is produced, and a signal of the stress wave is detected in a high-frequency broadband ultrasonic testing mode. 4) Fitting calculation is conducted on the signal of the stress wave to obtain the lifetime of the surface state carrier τ.sub.c.

A method for testing a lifetime of a surface state carrier of a semiconductor, including the following steps, 1) a narrow pulse light source is used to emit a light pulse, and coupled to an interior of a near-field optical probe, and the near-field optical probe produces a photon-generated carrier on a surface of a semiconductor material under test through excitation. 2) The excited photon-generated carrier is concentrated on the surface of the semiconductor material, and recombination is conducted continuously with a surface state as a recombination center. 3) A change in a lattice constant is produced due to an electronic volume effect, a stress wave is produced, and a signal of the stress wave is detected in a high-frequency broadband ultrasonic testing mode. 4) Fitting calculation is conducted on the signal of the stress wave to obtain the lifetime of the surface state carrier τ.sub.c.

A carrier lifetime measurement method for measuring a lifetime of carriers in a measurement target object includes an irradiation step of irradiating a DUT 10 serving as a measurement target object with measurement light and stimulus light subjected to intensity modulation using a plurality of frequencies, an outputting step of outputting a detection signal by detecting an intensity of reflected light from the DUT 10 or transmitted light through the DUT 10, and a generation step of detecting a phase delay of the detection signal with respect to a modulation signal including a frequency in association with a concentration of impurities in a measurement target region of the plurality of frequencies and generating image data indicating a distribution of lifetimes of carriers in the DUT 10 on the basis of the phase delay.

A concentration measurement method for measuring a concentration of impurities includes a step of irradiating a DUT 10 serving as a measurement target object with measurement light and stimulus light subjected to intensity modulation using a modulation signal including a default frequency, a step of outputting a detection signal by detecting an intensity of reflected light from the DUT 10 or transmitted light through the DUT 10, and a step of detecting a phase delay of the detection signal with respect to the modulation signal, obtaining a frequency at which the phase delay has a predetermined value, and estimating a concentration of impurities in the measurement target object on the basis of the frequency.

A carrier lifetime measurement method for measuring a lifetime of carriers in a measurement target object includes an irradiation step of irradiating a DUT 10 serving as a measurement target object with measurement light and stimulus light subjected to intensity modulation using a plurality of frequencies, an outputting step of outputting a detection signal by detecting an intensity of reflected light from the DUT 10 or transmitted light through the DUT 10, and a generation step of detecting a phase delay of the detection signal with respect to a modulation signal including a frequency in association with a concentration of impurities in a measurement target region of the plurality of frequencies and generating image data indicating a distribution of lifetimes of carriers in the DUT 10 on the basis of the phase delay.

A concentration measurement method for measuring a concentration of impurities includes a step of irradiating a DUT 10 serving as a measurement target object with measurement light and stimulus light subjected to intensity modulation using a modulation signal including a default frequency, a step of outputting a detection signal by detecting an intensity of reflected light from the DUT 10 or transmitted light through the DUT 10, and a step of detecting a phase delay of the detection signal with respect to the modulation signal, obtaining a frequency at which the phase delay has a predetermined value, and estimating a concentration of impurities in the measurement target object on the basis of the frequency.

Various approaches can be used to interrogate a surface such as a surface of a layered semiconductor structure on a semiconductor wafer. Certain approaches employ Second Harmonic Generation while other utilize four wave-mixing or multi-wave mixing. Corona discharge may be applied to the sample to provide additional information. Some approaches involve determining current flow from a sample illuminated with radiation.

A photoelectric conversion element evaluation apparatus includes: a probe light source that irradiates a photoelectric conversion element as the object of measurement with probe light; a pump light source that irradiates the photoelectric conversion element being irradiated with the probe light with pulsed pump light; and a light receiving element that detects time dependency of a change in an amount of the probe light obtained from the photoelectric conversion element.

A method to determine an electronic signature characteristic of a fluid medium comprises making a reception surface for receiving the fluid medium on at least one face of the substrate, putting the fluid medium into contact with the reception surface in order to make an interface between the substrate and the fluid medium, lighting at least one zone of the interface through the fluid medium with a pulsed light beam in order to create photogenerated electric charges, using a microwave reflectometer to measure the lifetime durations of the photogenerated electric charges, which durations have respective values that depend on the recombination rate at the interface between the substrate and the fluid medium, creating a matrix of measured lifetime duration values for the photogenerated electric charges, and using the matrix to determine the electronic signature characteristic of the fluid medium.