Thermal analysis of laser damage in thin-film photoconductors

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Abstract
A closed‐form thermal model is presented which describes heat transfer in thin‐film photoconductors under laser irradiation. Previously published thermal models for laser damage are not valid for thin‐film detectors fabricated with thick protective layers. In these detectors it is necessary to take into account heat diffusion from the absorbing film into the protective layer as well as the substrate. The thermal model was validated by measuring the damage thresholds of PbS and PbSe photoconductors and comparing theoretical and experimental results. The model was then used to analyze the thermal response of thin‐film detectors fabricated with different substrates and thermal coupling parameters. It is shown that considerable improvement in the performance of thin‐film photoconductors under high thermal loading can be achieved.