The invention comprises a solid state infrared source and method of use thereof comprising: (1) an electrically conductive film, comprising a semi-transparent material, the semi-transparent material comprising a transmission property of at least forty percent, wherein at least forty percent of internal infrared emissions from the electrically conductive film transmit to an outer surface of the electrically conductive film, wherein the infrared emissions comprise a peak intensity between 3.9 and 6 micrometers; (2) a first silicon nitride layer; and (3) a second silicon nitride layer, the electrically conductive film positioned between the first silicon nitride layer and the second silicon nitride layer, where applying an electric current of less than one Watt through the electrically conductive film raises a temperature of the electrically conductive film to in excess of eight hundred degrees centigrade in less than twenty milliseconds resultant in the infrared emissions.