A novel technique for Interfacial Thermal Resistance measurement for nanoscale thin films

Thermal resistance of interfaces is one of the most challenging measurands in experimental heat transfer, particularly for micro and nanoscale thin films. It is also the dominating quantity in thermal management in microelectronic and energy conversion devices. We present a novel technique that exploits the size dependence of thermal resistance in thin films to magnify the discontinuous temperature drop at the interface, which is then measured with infrared thermometry. We show that orders of magnitude amplification in interfacial temperature drop is possible by making the specimen freestanding, which facilitates the measurement. We present experimental results on metal dielectric interfaces involving aluminum, copper, silicon di-oxide and hafnium oxide for validation of the novel technique. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.