Structural changes in GaAs induced by ultrafast (fs) laser pulses

Abstract

Ultrafast changes in the crystal structure of GaAs induced by intense femtosecond laser pulses are detected and investigated. Atomic force microscopy and Raman microprobe analysis of the laser-treated area show centrosymmetric (disordered) features which are different from the original zinc-blend structure of the GaAs lattice. The frozen-in structure shows evidence for a special heat transfer from the laser-induced crater to the boundary, namely the heat has been transferred ballistically by a high-density electron-hole plasma.