An advanced 2ω method enabling thermal conductivity measurement for various sample thicknesses: From thin films to bulk materials

Abstract

We developed an advanced 2ω method for thermal conductivity (κ) measurements that is also applicable to samples with a wide range of thicknesses, to which the flash method cannot be applied. The conventional 2ω method, which features a simple setup combined with thermoreflectance, is a κ measurement method for thin films on substrates. However, it is difficult to apply this method to bulk substrate samples without films because of the interfacial thermal resistance between the transducer metal film and the substrate. In the advanced 2ω method, the interfacial thermal resistance becomes negligible due to the coating of a bulk sample with a high-thermal-resistance film. We measured the κ values of various bulk samples (Si, Ge, fused quartz, and TiO2). Moreover, the κ value of thin (0.3-mm) bulk Si substrates, which is difficult to measure using the conventional flash method for bulk materials because of the high thermal diffusivity, could be measured. This study demonstrates that the range of sample thickness for the 2ω method is extended from thin films to bulk materials.