Laser Damage Limits Emerging Terahertz Technology, Study Warns

We present an investigation of the thermal damage threshold of passivated Bi2Se3 films upon laser illumination, with a focus on their employment in terahertz (THz) spectroscopic applications. Passivation was achieved by depositing a thin 3 nm Al capping layer which, exposed to the ambient, forms a natural oxide. In THz transient emission experiments, the samples were exposed to a train of 100 fs wide laser pulses with 800 nm wavelength at 78 MHz repetition rate and peak power density up to 295 mW/µm2. For the sake of comparison, the films were also exposed to continuous wave laser light with a wavelength of 532 nm in the average optical power density range from 5 × 10−2 mW/µm2 to 50 mW/µm2. In both cases, changes in film appearance, detected by optical microscopy, or even film removal in a small area close to the center of the illuminated spot could be induced. Raman spectroscopy provided evidence that the crystalline phase of Bi2Se3 films is present in areas that have been exposed but not damaged. Conversely, in the film region illuminated with the highest peak power density no Raman signal was detected in the range under investigation which we ascribe to material removal. At the perimeter of this ablated area, we observed a dominant Raman mode at approximately 255 cm−1 that we can attribute to selenium and indicates partial Bi2Se3 decomposition. In contrast, we observed Raman spectra corresponding to as-deposited Bi2Se3 only a few micrometers away from the laser-damaged area. Hence, the observed THz radiation originates from this illuminated but undamaged region. This detailed knowledge is expected to serve as a guide for designing the emitter’s thermal management and choosing laser parameters for optimal operation.