Ultrafast Phase Transitions in Semiconductors

We present measurements of the dielectric function of various semiconducting materials (c-GaAs, a-GaAs and GeSb thin-films) over a broad energy range (1.5 - 3.5 eV) with a time resolution of 70 fs after the excitation with an ultrashort laser pulse. The time evolution of the dielectric function provides a wealth of information that allows identification and tracking of the electronic and structural dynamics triggered by the pump pulse. At elevated fluence levels all materials undergo a semiconductor to metal transitions.