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Title: Measuring phonon mean free path distributions by probing quasiballistic phonon transport in grating nanostructures

Abstract

Heat conduction in semiconductors and dielectrics depends upon their phonon mean free paths that describe the average travelling distance between two consecutive phonon scattering events. Nondiffusive phonon transport is being exploited to extract phonon mean free path distributions. Here, we describe an implementation of a nanoscale thermal conductivity spectroscopy technique that allows for the study of mean free path distributions in optically absorbing materials with relatively simple fabrication and a straightforward analysis scheme. We pattern 1D metallic grating of various line widths but fixed gap size on sample surfaces. The metal lines serve as both heaters and thermometers in time-domain thermoreflectance measurements and simultaneously act as wiregrid polarizers that protect the underlying substrate from direct optical excitation and heating. We demonstrate the viability of this technique by studying length-dependent thermal conductivities of silicon at various temperatures. The thermal conductivities measured with different metal line widths are analyzed using suppression functions calculated from the Boltzmann transport equation to extract the phonon mean free path distributions with no calibration required. Furthermore, this table-top ultrafast thermal transport spectroscopy technique enables the study of mean free path spectra in a wide range of technologically important materials.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Solid-State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center (S3TEC)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1240855
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0001299
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 108; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY; condensed-matter physics; other nanotechnology; optical spectroscopy

Citation Formats

Zeng, Lingping, Collins, Kimberlee C., Hu, Yongjie, Luckyanova, Maria N., Maznev, Alexei A., Huberman, Samuel, Chiloyan, Vazrik, Zhou, Jiawei, Huang, Xiaopeng, Nelson, Keith A., and Chen, Gang. Measuring phonon mean free path distributions by probing quasiballistic phonon transport in grating nanostructures. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1038/srep17131.
Zeng, Lingping, Collins, Kimberlee C., Hu, Yongjie, Luckyanova, Maria N., Maznev, Alexei A., Huberman, Samuel, Chiloyan, Vazrik, Zhou, Jiawei, Huang, Xiaopeng, Nelson, Keith A., & Chen, Gang. Measuring phonon mean free path distributions by probing quasiballistic phonon transport in grating nanostructures. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep17131
Zeng, Lingping, Collins, Kimberlee C., Hu, Yongjie, Luckyanova, Maria N., Maznev, Alexei A., Huberman, Samuel, Chiloyan, Vazrik, Zhou, Jiawei, Huang, Xiaopeng, Nelson, Keith A., and Chen, Gang. Fri . "Measuring phonon mean free path distributions by probing quasiballistic phonon transport in grating nanostructures". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep17131. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1240855.
@article{osti_1240855,
title = {Measuring phonon mean free path distributions by probing quasiballistic phonon transport in grating nanostructures},
author = {Zeng, Lingping and Collins, Kimberlee C. and Hu, Yongjie and Luckyanova, Maria N. and Maznev, Alexei A. and Huberman, Samuel and Chiloyan, Vazrik and Zhou, Jiawei and Huang, Xiaopeng and Nelson, Keith A. and Chen, Gang},
abstractNote = {Heat conduction in semiconductors and dielectrics depends upon their phonon mean free paths that describe the average travelling distance between two consecutive phonon scattering events. Nondiffusive phonon transport is being exploited to extract phonon mean free path distributions. Here, we describe an implementation of a nanoscale thermal conductivity spectroscopy technique that allows for the study of mean free path distributions in optically absorbing materials with relatively simple fabrication and a straightforward analysis scheme. We pattern 1D metallic grating of various line widths but fixed gap size on sample surfaces. The metal lines serve as both heaters and thermometers in time-domain thermoreflectance measurements and simultaneously act as wiregrid polarizers that protect the underlying substrate from direct optical excitation and heating. We demonstrate the viability of this technique by studying length-dependent thermal conductivities of silicon at various temperatures. The thermal conductivities measured with different metal line widths are analyzed using suppression functions calculated from the Boltzmann transport equation to extract the phonon mean free path distributions with no calibration required. Furthermore, this table-top ultrafast thermal transport spectroscopy technique enables the study of mean free path spectra in a wide range of technologically important materials.},
doi = {10.1038/srep17131},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 108,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Fri Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}

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