Enhanced energy deposition and carrier generation in silicon induced by two-color intense femtosecond laser pulses

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the optical energy absorption of crystalline silicon subject to dual-color femtosecond laser pulses, using the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). We employ the modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) exchange-correlation potential which reproduces the experimental direct bandgap energy $E_g$. We consider situations where the one color is in the ultraviolet (UV) range above $E_g$ and the other in the infrared (IR) range below it. The energy deposition is examined as a function of mixing ratio $\eta$ of the two colors with the total pulse energy conserved. Energy transfer from the laser pulse to the electronic system in silicon is dramatically enhanced by simultaneous dual-color irradiation and maximized at $\eta\sim 0.5$. Increased is the number of generated carriers, not the absorbed energy per carrier. The effect is more efficient for lower IR photon energy, or equivalently, larger vector-potential amplitude. As the underlying mechanism is identified the interplay between intraband electron motion in the {\it valence} band (before excitation) driven by the IR component and resonant valence-to-conduction interband excitation (carrier injection) induced by the UV component. The former increases excitable electrons which pass through the $k$ points of resonant transitions. The effect of different multiphoton absorption paths or intraband motion of carriers generated in the conduction band play a minor role.