Decoupling Thermal Properties in Multilayer Systems for Advanced Thermoreflectance Techniques

Abstract

Thermoreflectance techniques, including time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR), frequency-domain thermoreflectance (FDTR), and the square-pulsed source (SPS) method, are powerful tools for characterizing the thermal properties of bulk and thin-film materials. However, accurately interpreting their signals remains challenging due to intricate interdependencies among experimental variables. This study introduces a systematic framework based on singular value decomposition (SVD) to decouple these interdependent parameters and enhance the reliability of thermal property extraction. By applying SVD to the sensitivity matrix, we identify key parameter combinations and establish essential dimensionless numbers that govern thermoreflectance signals. The framework is applied to a GaN/Si heterostructure, where the performance of TDTR, FDTR, and SPS is evaluated and compared. The results demonstrate a high degree of consistency across all three techniques. Notably, with the intricate relationships of parameters unraveled, TDTR, FDTR, and SPS demonstrate significant potential to simultaneously and accurately extract five to seven key thermal properties, including thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and interfacial thermal conductance of the GaN/Si multilayer system. This framework not only improves the precision of thermoreflectance measurements but also lays a foundation for advanced thermal metrology in research and industrial applications.

References in corpus (7)

• Tutorial: Time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) for thermal property characterization of bulk and thin film materials
• Time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) measurements of anisotropic thermal conductivity using a variable spot size approach
• Heat capacity and phonon mean free path of wurtzite GaN
• A new elliptical-beam method based on time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) to measure the in-plane anisotropic thermal conductivity and its comparison with the beam-offset method
• Simultaneous Measurement of Thermal Conductivity and Heat Capacity Across Diverse Materials Using the Square-Pulsed Source (SPS) Technique
• Optical and thermal characterization of a group-III nitride semiconductor membrane by microphotoluminescence spectroscopy and Raman thermometry
• Comprehensive Measurement of Three-Dimensional Thermal Conductivity Tensor Using a Beam-Offset Square-Pulsed Source (BO-SPS) Approach

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Extending the Low-Frequency Limit of Time-Domain Thermoreflectance via Periodic Waveform Analysis
• Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization for Fast and Reliable Parameter Extraction in Thermoreflectance
• Thermal analysis of GaN-based photonic membranes for optoelectronics
• Experimental assessment of the Wiedemann-Franz law in thin metal films using thermoreflectance and electrical measurements
• Physics-Derived Natural Coordinates for Fast Uncertainty Propagation in Multilayer Thermoreflectance