Analysis of thermal parameters and factors acting on thermal conduction of low‐k films

The thermal properties of a silicon oxide‐based low‐k film and a thermally oxidized silicon film were investigated using the 3‐omega and laser thermo‐reflectance (LTR) methods. Thermal conductivity and effusivity were successfully estimated by the 3‐omega and LTR methods, respectively. It was confirmed that the combination of thermal effusivity and conductivity can successfully provide the heat capacity and thermal diffusivity of the films. The thermal parameters thus obtained suggested that the lower thermal conductivity of the examined low‐k film comes mainly from the rather low level of thermal diffusivity. Based on an analysis of the X‐ray diffraction profiles of the films, it was found that the low thermal diffusivity of the low‐k film can be attributed to the discontinuity of the network structure of their clusters. The heat resistance at the interface between the film and Si substrate was also evaluated. We found that the low‐k film exhibited, interestingly, negative interfacial heat resistance, although interfacial heat resistance should have a positive value in general. In order to determine the origin of the negative interfacial heat resistance, the interface state of the films was analyzed in detail on the basis of X‐ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements. The XRR results showed clearly that a thin, high‐density layer was present at the interface of the low‐k films. This high‐density layer presumably promoted heat flow to the substrate, resulting in the apparent negative interfacial heat resistance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The thermal properties of monochloro-para-xylylene

The three thermal properties that describe the heat transfer in a material were determined for a thin, tough, transparent, highly crystalline film of poly-monochloro-para-xylylene (PCPX). These three properties, viz. thermal conductivity (K), thermal diffusivity (α), and specific heat (C_p) were determined using a transient heating method.The experimental method used involved the heating of a sample of stacked polymer sheets by an ultrathin heating foil. The heating foil, located in the center plane of the stack provided a source of constant heat flux when a current of known amperage was passed through it. By careful consideration of sample dimensions, the sample simulated an infinite solid. The thermal properties were calculated using standard solutions of the heat transfer equations of an infinite solid over a temperature range of ?192 to 130°C. The experimental method was repeated to check the reproducibility of the results and compared with differential scanning calorimeter results.A data acquisition system was developed to facilitate data handling for the transient experiments. The system included hardware capable of punching data on paper tape and a software package to analyze these data.The conclusions drawn include: (1) the reproducibility of the experiments was well within the experimental errors; (2) the data acquisition system greatly facilitates acquisition of thermal data; (3) an incremental change occurs in C_p of PCPX in the vicinity of the γ relaxation reported by dynamical relaxation measurements and its occurrence indicates that this relaxation involves a cooperative motion of molecules; (4) owing to the significant magnitude of the C_p jump and the appreciable degree of crystallinity of PCPX, these internal motions occurring at the γ transition probably involve both amorphous and crystalline regions; (5) a direct relationship between thermal expansion and specific heat was indicated in PCPX as well as for polystyrene (PS) at relatively low temperatures (?200 to ?20°C); (6) the overall low values of thermal conductivity (1.0 to 2.5 × 10^?4 cal sec^?1 cm^?1) and thermal diffusivity (9.5 to 5.3 × 10^?4 cm² sec^?1) of PCPX indicate that it is ideally suited for insulation applications.     

Effect of thermal decomposition processes on the thermal properties of carbon fiber reinforced cement composites in high-temperature range

Thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity and linear thermal expansion coefficient of two types of carbon fiber reinforced cement composites are measured in the temperature range up to 800°C. Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity are also determined for the specimens exposed to thermal load up to 800°C before the measurement. Differential thermal analysis (DTA), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) are utilized for the assessment of thermal decomposition processes taking place in the high temperature range under consideration. The high temperature thermal properties of the studied materials are found to be positively affected by the application of the high alumina cement and in the case of the Portland cement based composite also by using the autoclaving procedure in the production process. Also, the randomly distributed carbon fibers that can reduce the damage of the pore structure by the thermal decomposition processes are identified as a positive factor in this respect. A comparison of thermal conductivity vs. temperature curves obtained for the specimens pre-heated to different temperatures is found to be a useful tool in the identification of major dynamic effects in the specimens due to the thermal decomposition reactions. The results are in a good agreement with the DTA, MIP, SEM and XRD analyses. The character of the thermal conductivity measurements that in fact includes the effects of convection and radiation into the thermal conductivity coefficient can be beneficial for a simple assessment of the influence of the fire on a dividing structure.     

Development of a thermal conductivity cell with nanolayer coating for thermal conductivity measurement of fluids

Various techniques and methodologies of thermal conductivity measurement have been based on the determination of the rate of directional heat flow through a material having a unit temperature differential between its opposing faces. The constancy of the rate depends on the material density, its thermal resistance and the heat flow path itself. The last of these variables contributes most significantly to the true value of steady-state axial and radial heat dissipation depending on the magnitude of transient thermal diffusivity along these directions. The transient hot-wire technique is broadly used for absolute measurements of the thermal conductivity of fluids. Refinement of this method has resulted in a capability for accurate and simultaneous measurement of both thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity together with the determination of the specific heat. However, these measurements, especially those for the thermal diffusivity, may be significantly influenced by fluid radiation. Recently developed corrections have been used to examine this assumption and rectify the influence of even weak fluid radiation. A thermal conductivity cell for measurement of the thermal properties of electrically conducting fluids has been developed and discussed.     

Effect of in and Zn additives on some thermal properties of a-Se

In the present work, the effect of In and Zn on some thermo–physical properties (thermal conductivity, diffusivity and specific heat per unit volume) of amorphous Se (a-Se) have been studied. For this, simultaneous measurements of effective thermal conductivity (λ_e) and effective thermal diffusivity (χ_e) are used at room temperature for twin pellets of Se, Se₉₀In₁₀ and Se₉₀Zn₁₀ alloys using transient plane source (TPS) technique. It has been found that In and Zn additives changes significantly the values of thermo-physical properties (thermal conductivity, diffusivity and specific heat per unit volume) of a-Se studied in the present work. The results have been analyzed in terms of average bond strength and effective molecular weight of the binary alloys.     

Pressure dependence of the thermal conductivity,thermal diffusivity,and specific heat of some polymers

The pressure dependence of the specific heat of poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene, and atactic and isotactic polypropylene was determined from simultaneous measurements of thermal conductivity and diffusivity in a cylindrical geometry at 300°K and in the pressure range 0–37 kbar. The thermal conductivity and the diffusivity both increase strongly with pressure, while the specific heat decreases. The pressure dependencies are most pronounced at low pressures. The results are compared with other experimental results and with theoretical calculations.     

Effect of treatment on the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of oil‐palm‐fiber‐reinforced phenolformaldehyde composites

The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of oil‐palm‐fiber‐reinforced untreated (Sample 1) and differently treated composites were measured with the transient plane source technique at room temperature and under normal pressure. All the composites were 40% oil‐palm fiber by weight. The fibers were treated with alkali (Composite 2), silane (Composite 3), and acetic acid (Composite 4) and reinforced in a phenolformaldehyde matrix. The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the composites increased after treatment to different extents. The thermal conductivity of the treated fibers as well as of the untreated fibers was calculated theoretically. The model results show that the thermal conductivity of the untreated fiber was smaller than the thermal conductivity of the treated fibers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 916–921, 2000     

The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity coefficient of methanol vapour

The thermal diffusivity of methanol vapour is measured by the thermal lens technique giving values of 0.76, 1.02, 1.70 and 1.78 N s⁻¹ at 321, 341, 377 and 405 K respectively. These thermal diffusivities are shown to be pressure-independent, the pressure dependence of the thermal conductivity merely reflecting the pressure-dependent heat capacity caused by the presence of dimers and tetramers.     

Characterization of very low thermal conductivity thin films

Characterization of thermal transport in nanoscale thin films with very low thermal conductivity (<1 W m^?1 K^?1) is challenging due to the difficulties in accurately measuring spatial variations in temperature field as well as the heat losses. In this paper, we present a new experimental technique involving freestanding nanofabricated specimens that are anchored at the ends, while the entire chip is heated by a macroscopic heater. The unique aspect of this technique is to remove uncertainty in measurement of convective heat transfer, which can be of the same magnitude as through the specimen in a low conductivity material. Spatial mapping of temperature field as well as the natural convective heat transfer coefficient allows us to calculate the thermal conductivity of the specimen using an energy balance modeling approach. The technique is demonstrated on thermally grown silicon oxide and low dielectric constant carbon-doped oxide films. The thermal conductivity of 400 nm silicon dioxide films was found to be 1.2 W m^?1 K^?1, and is in good agreement with the literature. Experimental results for 200 nm thin low dielectric constant oxide films demonstrate that the model is also capable of accurately determining the thermal conductivity for materials with values <1 W m^?1 K^?1.     

Thermal properties measurement of cut tobacco based on TPS method and thermal conductivity model

Drying process of biomass porous media is widely involved in agricultural products processing. Accurate measurement of thermal properties and prediction of thermal conductivity variation at different conditions is the key of heat transfer simulation and optimization for drying process. The present work measured the thermal properties of cut tobacco in a constant temperature experimental platform by transient plane source method (TPS method), and developed a model to predict thermal conductivity of cut tobacco at different conditions. The results showed that there was a high test precision for thermal properties measurement of cut tobacco by TPS method. Thermal conductivity of cut tobacco increased significantly with the increase of temperature and moisture content at the range of 25–65 °C and 12.5–25 %. Volume heat capacities showed a similar trend. The model predictions of thermal conductivity showed strong correlation coefficient with experimental values. The deviation of model predictions is less than 10 %, which indicated that the established model had a good prediction precision for thermal conductivity of cut tobacco.     

Effect of some metallic additives (Ag, Cd, and Sn) on thermal transport properties of a-Se

In this study, we have studied the effect of elements Ag, Cd, and Sn as chemical modifiers on some thermal transport properties (thermal conductivity, diffusivity, and specific heat per unit volume) of amorphous Se. Concurrent measurements of thermal transport properties such as effective thermal conductivity (??_e), thermal diffusivity (??_e), and specific heat per unit volume (??C _v) are used at room temperature for twin pellets of pure Se- and Se-based binary Se₉₈M₂ (M?=?Ag, Cd, and Sn) alloys using transient plane source technique. We have also determined the thermal inertia I _T using the experimental values of thermal conductivity and specific heat per unit volume for present amorphous alloys. The increasing sequence of measured thermal transport properties is also discussed.     

Determination of thermal parameters of one-dimensional nanostructures through a thermal transient method

We present an improved methodology for a thermal transient method enabling simultaneous measurement of thermal conductivity and specific heat of nanoscale structures with one-dimensional heat flow. The temporal response of a sample to finite duration heat pulse inputs for both short (1 ns) and long (5 μs) pulses is analyzed and exploited to deduce the thermal properties. Excellent agreement has been obtained between the recovered physical parameters and computational simulations through choosing an optimized pulse width.     

Thermophysical properties of polypropylene/aluminum composites

This article is dedicated to the study of the thermal parameters of composite materials. A nonlinear least‐squares criterion is used on experimental transfer functions to identify the thermal conductivity and the diffusivity of aluminum‐polymer composite materials. The density measurements were achieved to deduce the specific heat and thereafter they were compared to values given by differential scanning calorimetry measurement. The thermal parameters of the composite material polypropylene/aluminum were investigated for the two different types of aluminum filler sizes. The experimental data were compared with several theoretical thermal conductivity prediction models. It was found that both the Agari and Bruggeman models provide a good estimation for thermal conductivity. The experimental values of both thermal conductivity and diffusivity have shown a better heat transport for the composite filled with large particles. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 722–732, 2004     

Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of poly(acrylic acid) by transient hot wire technique

The paper describes a new transient hot wire instrument which employs 25.4 μm diameter tantalum wire with an insulating tantalum pentoxide coating. This hot-wire cell with a thin insulating layer is suitable for measurement of the thermal conductivity and the thermal diffusivity of electrically conducting and polar liquids. This instrument has been used for experimental measurement of the thermal conductivity and the thermal diffusivity of poly(acrylic acid) solution (50 mass%) in the temperature range of 299 to 368 K at atmospheric pressure. The thermal conductivity data is estimated to be accurate within ±4%. Thermal diffusivity measurements have a much higher uncertainty (±30%) and need further refinement.     

Influence of thermal process on microstructural and physical properties of ambient pressure dried hydrophobic silica aerogel monoliths

The experimental results of thermal process on the microstructural and physical properties of ambient pressure dried hydrophobic silica aerogel monoliths are reported and discussed. With sodium silicate as precursor, ethanol/hexamethyldisiloxane/hydrochloric acid as surface modification agent, the crack-free and high hydrophobic silica aerogel monoliths was obtained possessing the properties as low density (0.096 g/cm³), high surface area (651 m²/g), high hydrophobicity (~147°) and low thermal conductivity (0.0217 Wm/K). Silica aerogels maintained hydrophobic behavior up to 430 °C. After a thermal process changing from room temperature to 300 °C, the hydrophobicity remained unchanged (~128°), of which the porosity was 95.69% and specific density about 0.094 g/cm³. After high temperature treatment (300–500 °C), the density of final product decreased from 0.094 to 0.089 g/cm³ and porosity increased to 96.33%. With surface area of 466 m²/g, porosity of 91.21% and density about 0.113 g/cm³, silica aerogels were at a good state at 800 °C. Thermal conductivities at desired temperatures were analyzed by the transient plane heat source method. Thermal conductivity coefficients of silica aerogel monoliths changed from 0.0217 to 0.0981 Wm/K as temperature increased to 800 °C, revealed an excellent heat insulation effect during thermal process.     

Measuring the thermal conductivity of heat transfer fluids via the modified transient plane source (MTPS)

Heat transfer fluids are often a critical performance component in industrial processes and system design. Fluids are used in heat dissipation to maintain stable operating temperatures in a variety of applications, such as diesel engines, chemical production, asphalt storage, and high-power electric transformers. A wide range of fluids specific to various applications are available, thus a reliable and accurate thermal conductivity characterization is extremely important. Thermal conductivity analysis of heat transfer fluids with traditional methods is time-consuming and error-prone due to the impact of convection. Convection often distorts effective thermal conductivity measurement as an additional source of heat transfer. The modified transient plane source method implemented in the C-Therm Technologies TCi Analyzer provides an easy way to accurately measure the thermal conductivity and distinguish this form of heat transfer in negating the impact of convection by (a) employing the shortest test time in commercially available sensors (0.8 s), (b) offering a minimal sample volume requirement (1.25 mL), and (c) employing a low-energy power flux to the specimen under test (approximately 2,600 W m^?2). This work presents thermal conductivity results generated on three types of heat transfer fluids over a wide temperature range and discusses the significance of the data in relevance to the application.     

Applicability of the transient plane source method to measure the thermal conductivity of low‐density polyethylene foams

The thermal conductivity at constant pressure of a collection of crosslinked, closed‐cell polyethylene foams were measured at room temperature with the transient plane source (TPS) method. The experimental results were compared with those determined by a standard steady‐state technique. The results showed that the values measured by the TPS method follow the same trends as those measured by a heat‐flow meter. Therefore, with the TPS technique it is possible to observe the influence of structural characteristics such as cell size, black carbon content in foams, density, and so forth on thermal conductivity. However, the values obtained by the transient method were approximately 20% higher than those given by the standard method. Possible reasons for these variations are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1226–1234, 2004     

Effect of testing conditions on the laser flash thermal diffusivity measurements of ceramics

Several experimental techniques either under steady state or transient heat transfer conditions, have been developed to evaluate thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of materials. However, testing difficulties resulting from specimen size, extended testing time and heat losses, have somewhat impaired the applicability of many of them. In this respect, the use of the laser flash technique for thermal diffusivity measurements, is a very convenient alternative, considering its basic modeling equation is independent of the temperature gradient as well as the heat flow, and in addition the heat losses can be analytically treated. Another important advantage of the technique is its rapid experimental execution. In this work, it is presented as an investigation concerning how the testing conditions such as specimen coating, laser power and pulse duration, base line adoption, heat losses correction methods, and specimen thickness, may affect the thermal diffusivity measurements of some ceramic materials using the laser flash technique.     

Measurement of thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity of polymers by laser flash method

We measured thermal diffusivity and heat capacity of polymers by laser flash method, and the effects of measurement condition and sample size on the accuracy of the measurement are discussed. Thermal diffusivities of PTFE films with thickness 200–500 μm were the same as those data that have been reported. But, the data for film thickness less than 200 μm have to be corrected by an equation to cancel thermal resistance between sample film and graphite layers for receiving light and detecting temperature. Thermal diffusivity was almost unaffected by the size of area vertical to the direction of laser pulse, because heat flow for the direction could be negligible. Specific heat capacity of polymer film was exactly measured at room temperature, provided that low absorbed energy (< 0.3 J) and enough sample mass (> 25 mg) were satisfied as measuring conditions. Thermal diffusivity curve of PS or PC versus temperature had a terrace around T_g, whereas that of PE decreased monotonously with increasing in temperature until T_m. Further, we estimated relative specific heat capacity (RC_p) by calculating ratios of heat capacities at various temperatures to the one at 299 K. RC_p for PS obtained by laser flash method was larger than that obtained by DSC method, whereas the RC_ps for PE obtained by the both methods agreed with one another until T_m (305 K). RC_p for PS decreased linearly, with increase in temperature after it increased linearly until T_g (389 K), showing similarity to temperature dependency of thermal conductivity. RC_p for PE also decreased until T_m, similar to thermal conductivity. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Determinants of thermal conductivity and diffusivity in nanostructural semiconductors

The origin of size effects in the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of nanostructural semiconductors was investigated through the establishment of a unified nanothermodynamic model. The contributions of size-dependent heat capacity and cohesive energy as well as the interface scattering effects were considered during the modeling. The results indicate the following: (1) both the thermal conductivity and diffusivity decrease with decreasing nanocrystal sizes (x) of Si and Si/SiGe nanowires, Si thin films and Si/Ge(SiGe) superlattices, and GaAs/AlAs superlattices when x > 20 nm; (2) the heat transport in semiconductor nanocrystals is determined largely by the increase of the surface (interface)/volume ratio; (3) the interface scattering effect predominates in the reduction of thermal conductivity and diffusivity while the intrinsic size effects on average phonon velocity and phonon mean free path are also critical; (4) the quantum size effect plays a crucial role in the enhancement of the thermal conductivity with a decreasing x (<20 nm). These findings provide new insights into the fundamental understanding of high-performance nanostructural semiconductors toward application in optoelectronic and thermoelectric devices.