Nanoscale laser flash measurements of diffuson transport in amorphous Ge and Si

Peng, Wanyue; Wilson, Richard B.

doi:10.1063/5.0082627

Nanoscale laser flash measurements of diffuson transport in amorphous Ge and Si

Journal Article · Mon Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · APL Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0082627· OSTI ID:1979034

Peng, Wanyue ^[1]; ^[2]

University of California, Riverside, CA (United States); OSTI
University of California, Riverside, CA (United States)

The thermal properties of amorphous materials have attracted significant attention due to their technological importance in electronic devices. In addition, the disorder-induced breakdown of the phonon gas model makes vibrational transport in amorphous materials a topic of fundamental interest. In the past few decades, theoretical concepts, such as propagons, diffusons, and locons, have emerged to describe different types of vibrational modes in disordered solids. However, experiments can struggle to accurately determine which types of vibrational states carry the majority of the heat. In this study, we use nanoscale laser flash measurements (front/back time-domain thermoreflectance) to investigate thermal transport mechanisms in amorphous Ge and amorphous Si thin-films. We observe a nearly linear relationship between the amorphous film’s thermal resistance and the film’s thickness. The slope of the film’s thermal resistance vs thickness corresponds to a thickness-independent thermal conductivity of 0.4 and 0.6 W/(m K) for a-Ge and a-Si, respectively. This result reveals that the majority of heat currents in amorphous Si and Ge thin films prepared via RF sputtering at room temperature are carried by diffusons and/or propagons with mean free paths less than a few nanometers.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ (United States); University of California, Riverside, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0021230

OSTI ID:: 1979034

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1863645

Journal Information:: APL Materials, Journal Name: APL Materials Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 10; ISSN 2166-532X

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (42)

Thermal Conductivity of Amorphous Materials Zhou, Wu‐Xing; Cheng, Yuan; Chen, Ke‐Qiu Advanced Functional Materials, Vol. 30, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201903829	journal	August 2019
Sound velocity in amorphous Ge and Si Testardi, L. R.; Hauser, J. J. Solid State Communications, Vol. 21, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-1098(77)90014-x	journal	March 1977
Attenuation of surface phonons in opaque materials measured by Brillouin scattering Vacher, R.; Sussner, H.; Schmidt, M. Solid State Communications, Vol. 34, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-1098(80)90557-8	journal	May 1980
A novel strategy for GaN-on-diamond device with a high thermal boundary conductance Mu, Fengwen; Xu, Bin; Wang, Xinhua Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Vol. 905 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.164076	journal	June 2022
Room temperature GaN-diamond bonding for high-power GaN-on-diamond devices Mu, Fengwen; He, Ran; Suga, Tadatomo Scripta Materialia, Vol. 150 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2018.03.016	journal	June 2018
Thermophysical properties of aluminum oxide and molybdenum layered films Oka, Nobuto; Arisawa, Ryo; Miyamura, Amica Thin Solid Films, Vol. 518, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2009.09.180	journal	March 2010
Thermal Transport across Ion-Cut Monocrystalline β-Ga ₂ O ₃ Thin Films and Bonded β-Ga ₂ O ₃ –SiC Interfaces Cheng, Zhe; Mu, Fengwen; You, Tiangui ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 12, Issue 40 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c11672	journal	September 2020
Low Thermal Boundary Resistance Interfaces for GaN-on-Diamond Devices Yates, Luke; Anderson, Jonathan; Gu, Xing ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 10, Issue 28 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b07014	journal	June 2018
High Thermal Boundary Conductance across Bonded Heterogeneous GaN–SiC Interfaces Mu, Fengwen; Cheng, Zhe; Shi, Jingjing ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 11, Issue 36 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b10106	journal	August 2019
Comprehensive Study of Thermal Transport and Coherent Acoustic-Phonon Wave Propagation in Thin Metal Film–Substrate by Applying Picosecond Laser Pump–Probe Method Ma, Weigang; Miao, Tingting; Zhang, Xing The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 119, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1021/jp512735k	journal	February 2015
Broadband phonon mean free path contributions to thermal conductivity measured using frequency domain thermoreflectance Regner, Keith T.; Sellan, Daniel P.; Su, Zonghui Nature Communications, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2630	journal	March 2013
Elastic and Anelastic Behavior of Ion‐Implanted Silicon Tan, S. I.; Berry, B. S.; Crowder, B. L. Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 20, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1654060	journal	January 1972
Flash Method of Determining Thermal Diffusivity, Heat Capacity, and Thermal Conductivity Parker, W. J.; Jenkins, R. J.; Butler, C. P. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 32, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1728417	journal	September 1961
Analysis of heat flow in layered structures for time-domain thermoreflectance Cahill, David G. Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 75, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1819431	journal	December 2004
The Physics of Structurally Disordered Matter: An Introduction Cusack, N. E.; Stein, Daniel L. Physics Today, Vol. 41, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2811678	journal	December 1988
Interfacial effects on the thermal conductivity of a-Ge thin films grown on Si substrates Alvarez-Quintana, J.; Rodríguez-Viejo, J. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 104, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2986443	journal	January 2008
Transient thermoreflectance from thin metal films Paddock, Carolyn A.; Eesley, Gary L. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 60, Issue 1, p. 285-290 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.337642	journal	July 1986
Heat transport in amorphous silicon: Interplay between morphology and disorder He, Yuping; Donadio, Davide; Galli, Giulia Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 98, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3574366	journal	April 2011
Interpreting picosecond acoustics in the case of low interface stiffness Hohensee, Gregory T.; Hsieh, Wen-Pin; Losego, Mark D. Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 83, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4766957	journal	November 2012
Tutorial: Time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) for thermal property characterization of bulk and thin film materials Jiang, Puqing; Qian, Xin; Yang, Ronggui Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 124, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5046944	journal	October 2018
High sensitivity pump–probe measurements of magnetic, thermal, and acoustic phenomena with a spectrally tunable oscillator Gomez, Michael J.; Liu, Kexin; Lee, Jonathan G. Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 91, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5126121	journal	February 2020
Thermal transport in defective and disordered materials Hanus, Riley; Gurunathan, Ramya; Lindsay, Lucas Applied Physics Reviews, Vol. 8, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0055593	journal	September 2021
Thermal model for time-domain thermoreflectance experiments in a laser-flash geometry Peng, Wanyue; Wilson, Richard B. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 131, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0082549	journal	April 2022
Diffusons, locons and propagons: Character of atomie yibrations in amorphous Si Allen, Philip B.; Feldman, Joseph L.; Fabian, Jaroslav Philosophical Magazine B, Vol. 79, Issue 11-12 https://doi.org/10.1080/13642819908223054	journal	November 1999
Thermal Transport in Disordered Materials DeAngelis, Freddy; Muraleedharan, Murali Gopal; Moon, Jaeyun Nanoscale and Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, Vol. 23, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/15567265.2018.1519004	journal	November 2018
Development of a thermal diffusivity measurement system for metal thin films using a picosecond thermoreflectance technique Taketoshi, Naoyuki; Baba, Tetsuya; Ono, Akira Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 12, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/12/12/306	journal	November 2001
Thermal boundary resistance of direct van der Waals bonded GaN-on-diamond Waller, William M.; Pomeroy, James W.; Field, Daniel Semiconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 35, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/ab9d35	journal	August 2020
Thermal conductivity of amorphous and crystalline Ge and GeTe films Nath, Prem; Chopra, K. L. Physical Review B, Vol. 10, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.10.3412	journal	October 1974
Thermal conductivity of disordered harmonic solids Allen, Philip B.; Feldman, Joseph L. Physical Review B, Vol. 48, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.48.12581	journal	November 1993
Numerical study of low-frequency vibrations in amorphous silicon Feldman, Joseph L.; Allen, Philip B.; Bickham, Scott R. Physical Review B, Vol. 59, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.59.3551	journal	February 1999
Anomalously high thermal conductivity of amorphous Si deposited by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition Yang, Ho-Soon; Cahill, David G.; Liu, X. Physical Review B, Vol. 81, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.81.104203	journal	March 2010
Thermal conductivity accumulation in amorphous silica and amorphous silicon Larkin, Jason M.; McGaughey, Alan J. H. Physical Review B, Vol. 89, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.89.144303	journal	April 2014
Size effects on the thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon thin films Braun, Jeffrey L.; Baker, Christopher H.; Giri, Ashutosh Physical Review B, Vol. 93, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.93.140201	journal	April 2016
High Thermal Conductivity of a Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Film Liu, Xiao; Feldman, J. L.; Cahill, D. G. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 102, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.102.035901	journal	January 2009
Excess Specific Heat in Evaporated Amorphous Silicon Queen, D. R.; Liu, X.; Karel, J. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 110, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.110.135901	journal	March 2013
Thermal Conductivity and Specific Heat of Thin-Film Amorphous Silicon Zink, B. L.; Pietri, R.; Hellman, F. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 96, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.96.055902	journal	February 2006
Low-temperature thermal conductivity and acoustic attenuation in amorphous solids Pohl, Robert O.; Liu, Xiao; Thompson, EunJoo Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 74, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1103/revmodphys.74.991	journal	October 2002
Analysis on thermal properties of tin doped indium oxide films by picosecond thermoreflectance measurement Yagi, Takashi; Tamano, Kimiaki; Sato, Yasushi Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 23, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1116/1.1872014	journal	July 2005
Sound velocity in amorphous films of germanium and silicon Cox‐Smith, I. R.; Liang, H. C.; Dillon, R. O. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 3, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1116/1.573278	journal	May 1985
Observation of Heat Diffusion across Submicrometer Metal Thin Films Using a Picosecond Thermoreflectance Technique Taketoshi, Naoyuki; Baba, Tetsuya; Ono, Akira Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 38, Issue Part 2, No. 11A https://doi.org/10.1143/jjap.38.l1268	journal	November 1999
Analysis of One-dimensional Heat Diffusion after Light Pulse Heating by the Response Function Method Baba, Tetsuya Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 48, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1143/jjap.48.05eb04	journal	May 2009
Development of Ultrafast Laser Flash Methods for Measuring Thermophysical Properties of Thin Films and Boundary Thermal Resistances Baba, Tetsuya; Taketoshi, Naoyuki; Yagi, Takashi Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 50, Issue 11S https://doi.org/10.7567/jjap.50.11ra01	journal	November 2011

Figures / Tables (4)

Similar Records

Size effects on the thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon thin films

Journal Article · Thu Mar 31 20:00:00 EDT 2016 · Physical Review B · OSTI ID:1251626

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
amorphous materials
lasers
materials properties
phonons
sputter deposition
thermal conductivity
thermal transport
thin films
time-domain thermoreflectance
vibrational states

Nanoscale laser flash measurements of diffuson transport in amorphous Ge and Si

Citation Formats

References (42)

Figures / Tables (4)

Similar Records

Related Subjects