Photoacoustic characterization of cw argon-ion laser irradiation of Ge

Abstract

Photoacoustic detection has been used to characterize cw argon‐ion laser irradiation of Ge. Laser‐induced heating, damage, and melting are studied. The heating process is seen to be nonlinear with incident laser power until close to melting. Two laser‐induced‐damage time constants are obtained associated with thermal etching and oxidation. An incident power level of 2.24 W is estimated to initiate the melting of an undamaged Ge surface under the experimental conditions described.