https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2015-50771-8
Regular Article
Thermal boundary conductance across metal-nonmetal interfaces: effects of electron-phonon coupling both in metal and at interface
1 Center for Phononics and Thermal
Energy Science, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University,
Shanghai
200092, P.R.
China
2 School of Environmental and Material
Engineering, Shanghai Second Polytechnic University, Shanghai
201209, P.R.
China
3 Department of Chemistry,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
02139,
USA
4 Department of Physics, Center for
Computational Science and Engineering, Center for Advanced 2D Materials and Graphene
Research Center, National University of Singapore, 117546
Singapore, Republic of
Singapore
5 NUS Graduate School for Integrative
Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore,
117456
Singapore, Republic of
Singapore
a
e-mail: zhoujunzhou@tongji.edu.cn
b
e-mail: xonics@tongji.edu.cn
Received:
4
November
2014
Received in final form:
30
March
2015
Published online:
8
June
2015
We theoretically investigate the thermal boundary conductance across metal-nonmetal interfaces in the presence of the electron-phonon coupling not only in metal but also at interface. The thermal energy can be transferred from metal to nonmetal via three channels: (1) the phonon-phonon coupling at interface; (2) the electron-phonon coupling at interface; and (3) the electron-phonon coupling within metal and then subsequently the phonon-phonon coupling at interface. We find that these three channels can be described by an equivalent series-parallel thermal resistor network, based on which we derive out the analytic expression of the thermal boundary conductance. We then exemplify different contributions from each channel to the thermal boundary conductance in three typical interfaces: Pb-diamond, Ti-diamond, and TiN-MgO. Our results reveal that the competition among above channels determines the thermal boundary conductance.
Key words: Solid State and Materials
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2015