Quantitative method to measure thermal conductivity of one-dimensional nanostructures based on scanning thermal wave microscopy

We present a method to quantitatively measure the thermal conductivity of one-dimensional nanostructures by utilizing scanning thermal wave microscopy (STWM) at a nanoscale spatial resolution. In this paper, we explain the principle for measuring the thermal diffusivity of one-dimensional nanostructures using STWM and the theoretical analysis procedure for quantifying the thermal diffusivity. The SWTM measurement method obtains the thermal conductivity by measuring the thermal diffusivity, which has only a phase lag relative to the distance corresponding to the transferred thermal wave. It is not affected by the thermal contact resistances between the heat source and nanostructure and between the nanostructure and probe. Thus, the heat flux applied to the nanostructure is accurately obtained. The proposed method provides a very simple and quantitative measurement relative to conventional measurement techniques. © 2014 The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers.