Measurement of temperature gradients during Er:YAG laser irradiation of poly(vinyl alcohol)

Abstract In this work the interaction of a pulsed Er:YAG (2940 nm) laser beam with mock-ups of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) has been investigated. Online time resolved temperature peaks induced by single-pulse laser irradiations were measured for the first time through the development of a dedicated setup based on a fast IR detector. Tests were performed using fluences ranging between 1.1-2.8 J/cm2 and pulse durations of 160-430μs. A multiple heterojunction IR photovoltaic detector with bandwidth 2-12 μm and risetime <7 ns was used to study the surface temperature transient upon Er:YAG laser irradiation of PVOH. Tests and thermal modelling allowed to verify effectiveness and reliability of the novel sensor developed.