Accessing thermo-mechanical properties of semiconductors using a pump-probe surface displacement method

Description of the physical mechanism leading to laser induced thermal and electronic effects in semiconductors is crucial in both basic research and technological applications. In this paper, we present a thermal mirror technique to study the thermo-mechanical properties of semiconductors. A detailed theoretical investigation is presented, and the dominant effects are described in terms of the physical properties of the material. The effect of heat coupling between the sample and the surrounding fluid was taken into account and considerations on the time and spatial approximations to the photogenerated carriers profile were used to simplify the theoretical model. These approximations were then compared to numerical models and the results hold for high recombination rate semiconductors. Experiments were performed to validate the theoretical model, and the thermal diffusivity and photogenerated heat in the sample were determined. The values obtained for these properties were found to be in good agreement with literature. Published by AIP Publishing.