Analysis of the thermalization dynamics of two-layer thin films irradiated by femtosecond laser

Abstract

In this work, ultrafast thermalization dynamics was examined for a variety of two layer-thin films (Au/Si, Au/Ni, Au/W, Au/Al and Au/Pb). Non-equilibrium energy transport under laser irradiation was formulated for the electron and lattice sub-systems of the thin films. A significant reduction in the temperature of the electron and the lattice of the gold surface was observed especially for Au/Si and Au/Ni thin films due to their large G values. Next, the effects of laser power intensity and laser heating duration on the temperature distributions were examined for Au/Ni two-layer thin film. It was found that, as the laser intensity increased, the maximum electron temperature increased dramatically; on the other hand, as the pulse heating duration increased, the electron temperature gradually decreased. It was then concluded that thermal damage threshold of the gold surface can be improved by depositing gold layer on a substrate material with high electron-phonon coupling factor. Hence the thermal failure of thin films used in optical components of ultrafast laser systems or micro/nano electro mechanical systems can be prevented.