Picosecond timehyphen;resolved plasma and temperaturehyphen;induced changes of reflectivity and transmission in silicon

摘要

A pump‐and‐probe technique is used to perform picosecond time‐resolved measurements of reflectivity and transmission changes in silicon. The results provide direct evidence that lattice heating, melting, or boiling can occur on a picosecond time scale. Detailed analysis of the data provides information about the dynamics of the electron‐hole plasma prior to melting and the kinetics of ultrafast phase transitions and crystal regrowth.