We have experimentally investigated the heat transfer mechanisms at a 90±10 nm diameter point contact between a sample and a probe tip of a scanning thermal microscope (SThM). For large heated regions on the sample, air conduction is the dominant tip-sample heat transfer mechanism. For micro/nano devices with a submicron localized heated region, the air conduction contribution decreases, whereas conduction through the solid-solid contact and a liquid meniscus bridging the tip-sample junction become important, resulting in the sub-100 nm spatial resolution found in the SThM images. Using a one dimensional heat transfer model, we extracted from experimental data a liquid film thermal conductance of 6.7±1.5 nW/K. Solid-solid conduction increased linearly as contact force increased, with a contact conductance of and saturated for contact forces larger than 38±11 nN. This is most likely due to the elastic-plastic contact between the sample and an asperity at the tip end.
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e-mail: majumdar@me.berkeley.edu
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Technical Papers
Thermal Transport Mechanisms at Nanoscale Point Contacts
Li Shi,
Li Shi
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
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Arunava Majumdar
e-mail: majumdar@me.berkeley.edu
Arunava Majumdar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
Search for other works by this author on:
Li Shi
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
Arunava Majumdar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
e-mail: majumdar@me.berkeley.edu
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received by the Heat Transfer Division February 8, 2001; revision received July 27, 2001. Associate Editor: D. Poulikakos.
J. Heat Transfer. Apr 2002, 124(2): 329-337 (9 pages)
Published Online: July 27, 2001
Article history
Received:
February 8, 2001
Revised:
July 27, 2001
Citation
Shi , L., and Majumdar, A. (July 27, 2001). "Thermal Transport Mechanisms at Nanoscale Point Contacts ." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. April 2002; 124(2): 329–337. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1447939
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