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Effect of Auger recombination on transient optical properties in XUV and soft X-ray irradiated silicon nitride

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [4];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [9];  [11];  [12]
  1. Hochschule Emden/Leer-University of Applied Sciences (Germany). Institute for Laser and Optics; Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Krakow (Poland); European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) GmbH, Schenefeld (Germany)
  2. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Center for Free-Electron Laser Science
  3. Hochschule Emden/Leer-University of Applied Sciences (Germany). Institute for Laser and Optics
  4. Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy)
  5. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Germany)
  6. Czech Academy of Sciences (Czech Republic). Institute of Plasma Physics
  7. Univ. of Hamburg (Germany)
  8. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Center for Free-Electron Laser Science; Univ. of Hamburg (Germany)
  9. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  10. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)
  11. Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Krakow (Poland); Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany). Center for Free-Electron Laser Science
  12. Hochschule Emden/Leer-University of Applied Sciences (Germany). Institute for Laser and Optics; Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg (Germany)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Spatially encoded measurements of transient optical transmissivity became a standard tool for temporal diagnostics of free-electron-laser (FEL) pulses, as well as for the arrival time measurements in X-ray pump and optical probe experiments. The modern experimental techniques can measure changes in optical coefficients with a temporal resolution better than 10 fs. This, in an ideal case, would imply a similar resolution for the temporal pulse properties and the arrival time jitter between the FEL and optical laser pulses. However, carrier transport within the material and out of its surface, as well as carrier recombination may, in addition, significantly decrease the number of carriers. This would strongly affect the transient optical properties, making the diagnostic measurement inaccurate. Below we analyze in detail the effects of those processes on the optical properties of XUV and soft X-ray irradiated Si3N4, on sub-picosecond timescales. Si3N4 is a wide-gap insulating material widely used for FEL pulse diagnostics. Theoretical predictions are compared with the published results of two experiments at FERMI and LCLS facilities, and with our own recent measurement. The comparison indicates that three body Auger recombination strongly affects the optical response of Si3N4 after its collisional ionization stops. By deconvolving the contribution of Auger recombination, in future applications one could regain a high temporal resolution for the reconstruction of the FEL pulse properties measured with a Si3N4-based diagnostics tool.
Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1781590
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 11; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (4)

General parameterization of Auger recombination in crystalline silicon journal February 2002
Multiphonon broadening of impact ionisation and Auger recombination involving traps in semiconductors journal July 1983
Temperature Dependence of Photoluminescence Spectra of Nondoped and Electron-Doped SrTiO 3 : Crossover from Auger Recombination to Single-Carrier Trapping journal June 2009
Theory of Interband Auger Recombination in n -type Silicon journal September 1988

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Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
Condensed-matter physics
Ultrafast lasers