A nonlocal photoacoustic effect with variable thermal conductivity of semiconductor material subjected to laser heat source

Abstract

This study explores the behavior of laser-exposed photo-excited carriers, investigating the propagation of photoacoustic waves in the thermoelastic domain. It also delves into the theoretical generation of surface acoustic waves in semiconductors through photo-thermoelastic processes. The research considers the interaction between thermomechanical and acoustic waves in a nonlocal medium with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity. Unlike relying on electron–phonon or electron-hole thermalization processes, photoacoustic waves here result from thermoelastic stress induced by the laser-induced temperature increase. The investigation accounts for the optical, mechanical, and thermoelastic properties of nanoscale semiconductor materials. Predictions of photoacoustic signals are derived by solving a combined thermal diffusion issue and a thermoelastic problem, using Laplace and Fourier transforms in the mathematical model. Numerical solutions encompass various physical fields within the time domain using the inversion technique of Laplace and Fourier transforms, such as thermal, acoustic, mechanical, and carrier density diffusion. The study evaluates and compares the influences of thermal memory and thermal conductivity presenting visual representations.

Keywords

• Acoustic wave
• Thermal conductivity
• Semiconductors
• Non-local
• Laser pulse
• Photothermal