Abstract
In this paper, the three-dimensional theory of pulsed photothermal deformation is presented; by taking two appropriate assumptions, the rigorous solutions of three-dimensional thermal conduction and thermoelastic equations are given for the first time. The theoretical shape of the signal of two different samples is calculated, and the effects of pulse width, radius of pump beam, and sample thickness are discussed. As an example, the potential application of pulsed photothermal deformation for thin-film thickness measurement is analyzed.