Development of high-resolution thermoprobe

A method is being developed for measuring temperature with very high spatial (0.5 micron) and temporal (10 ns) resolution. This method, which exploits the light absorption characteristics of semiconductors, is of interest for studying the temperature rises associated with high-rate material deformation processes such as rapid crack propagation, sliding friction and wear, and shock-induced detonation of explosives. This report discusses the analytical and experimental examination of the temperature response of CdS single crystals and vapor-deposited polycrystalline films. A temperature sensitivity of 0.03K and a range of 300K were obtained. These values depended strongly on film thickness, film vapor-deposition processes, and post-deposition annealing, showing that sensitivity and range can be tailored somewhat for specific applications.