Picosecond infrared switching and spectroscopy of highly excited electronic states in the narrow-gap semiconductors InSb, PbTe, and (HgCd)Te

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6830708

Schwartz, B D

Picosecond optical techniques are aplied to study the spectral and dynamic properties of high-density, electron-hole plasmas in several narrow-gap semiconductors. The physics of the transient free-carrier plasma edge and its application to the study of high density plasmas and the switching of high-power, picosecond mid-infrared pulses are discussed. The design and construction of mode-locked Nd:glass and Nd:YAG lasers, a hybrid TEA CO/sub 2/ laser, and other experimental apparatus is given in detail. The arrangement and performance of a semiconductor switch generating picosecond 10.6 micron pulses of variable duration is presented. The ultrashort pulses are used to study the nonlinear transmission in InSb at 10.6 microns. An excite-probe technique is applied to measure the recombination times of high-density, electron-hole plasmas in InSb, (HgCd)Te, and PbTe. The luminescence from highly excited PbTe is characterized spectrally and temporally. Experimental results of optical gain at 5.3 microns in PbTe are given. The physics of recombination for high-density plasmas in narrow-gap semiconductors are discussed considering the applicability of models for Auger recombination. The possibility of using highly-excited narrow-gap semiconductors as picosecond, mid-infrared optical sources is considered.

• Research Organization: Brown Univ., Providence, RI (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6830708
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
42 ENGINEERING
ANTIMONY ALLOYS
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
CADMIUM TELLURIDES
INDIUM ALLOYS
LEAD TELLURIDES
MERCURY TELLURIDES
SEMICONDUCTOR SWITCHES
PERFORMANCE
CARBON DIOXIDE LASERS
ELECTRON-HOLE COUPLING
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAIN
INFRARED SPECTRA
LASER SPECTROSCOPY
LUMINESCENCE
NEODYMIUM LASERS
PLASMA
Q-SWITCHING
RECOMBINATION
USES
ALLOYS
AMPLIFICATION
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
GAS LASERS
INFORMATION
LASERS
LEAD COMPOUNDS
MERCURY COMPOUNDS
NUMERICAL DATA
PNICTIDES
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SOLID STATE LASERS
SPECTRA
SPECTROSCOPY
SWITCHES
TELLURIDES
TELLURIUM COMPOUNDS
360603* - Materials- Properties
420300 - Engineering- Lasers- (-1989)