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Picosecond, high-intensity 10.6-μm pulses have been used for a time-resolved investigation of nonlinear transmission in InSb. Self-induced shutoff of transmission was observed at 20 K and is attributed to avalanche generation and subsequent strong absorption by intervalence-band transitions. At higher temperatures, generation by two-photon absorption strengthens the effect. The apparent avalanche contribution is not accompanied by laser-induced damage such as occurs in larger-band-gap materials. The change from the transmissive to an opaque state occurs on a picosecond time scale.
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Schwartz et al. (1980) studied this question.
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