Nonequilibrium and bolometric responses of YBaCuO thin films to high-frequency modulated laser radiation

Picosecond nonequilibrium and slow bolometric responses to infrared radiation from a patterned high-T _c superconducting (HTS) film in resistive and normal states deposited onto LaAlO₃, NdGaO₃, and MgO substrates were investigated using both pulse and modulation techniques. The response time of 35 ps to a laser pulse of 17 ps FWHM has been observed. The intrinsic response time of the fast process is expected to be about a few picoseconds. The modulation technique, being free from the disadvantages of pulse methods (poor sensitivity, limited dynamic range), makes the detailed study of a number of relaxation processes possible. Besides the nonequilibrium response, two kinds of bolometric processes, namely phonon transport through the film-substrate interface and phonon thermal diffusion in a substrate, manifest themselves in certain frequency dependences.     

Kapitza resistance: Axiomatic acoustic mismatch theory with loss

We examine the anatomy of the quantitative properties of thermal transport across a solid-liquid boundary as it is described by acoustic mismatch theory. The single parameter, the Kapitza resistance, is a function of four loss parameters and one thermal transport parameter, the thermal diffusivity of the fluid. The loss parameters are to be determined from the dispersion relations for phonons at the peak of the thermal excitation in the material. The temperature dependence of the Kapitza resistance depends on the variation of the phonon excitation in the material with temperature, the familiar temperature-cubed factor, and the variation of the loss factors with temperature and frequency for phonons at the thermal peak, and the variation of the diffusivity with temperature. Since these parameters are undetermined and experimentally rather inaccessible, we conclude that for the present the Kapitza resistance must be viewed as a technological heat transport parameter. Some discussion is given of the part played by second sound in helium II in the surface heat transport process.     

Probing Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides MX2 (M = Mo,W and X = S,Se) using Time‐Domain Thermoreflectance

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are a group of layered 2D semiconductors that have shown many intriguing electrical and optical properties. However, the thermal transport properties in TMDs are not well understood due to the challenges in characterizing anisotropic thermal conductivity. Here, a variable‐spot‐size time‐domain thermoreflectance approach is developed to simultaneously measure both the in‐plane and the through‐plane thermal conductivity of four kinds of layered TMDs (MoS₂, WS₂, MoSe₂, and WSe₂) over a wide temperature range, 80–300 K. Interestingly, it is found that both the through‐plane thermal conductivity and the Al/TMD interface conductance depend on the modulation frequency of the pump beam for all these four compounds. The frequency‐dependent thermal properties are attributed to the nonequilibrium thermal resistance between the different groups of phonons in the substrate. A two‐channel thermal model is used to analyze the nonequilibrium phonon transport and to derive the intrinsic thermal conductivity at the thermal equilibrium limit. The measurements of the thermal conductivities of bulk TMDs serve as an important benchmark for understanding the thermal conductivity of single‐ and few‐layer TMDs.     

Kapitza resistance between silicon and helium-4

By simultaneously measuring the phonon scattering at or near a silicon surface and the phonon transmission from it into liquid helium, we have correlated quantitatively these two processes. For a clean polished silicon surface, the scattering of thermal phonons below 0.3 K becomes very small, and the transmission probability in this case approaches the prediction of the acoustic mismatch theory, which is 0.27%. The transmission probability increases, i.e. the thermal boundary resistance decreases, as the diffuse scattering increases either as a result of increasing the phonon frequency or the disorder at the surface. In the limit of completely diffuse scattering, the phonon transmission probability exceeds 30%, and the thermal boundary resistance approaches the value predicted by the diffuse mismatch model to within a factor of three.     

Superconductivity and electrical resistivity in alkali metal doped fullerides: Phonon mechanism

We consider a two- peak model for the phonon density of states to investigate the nature of electron pairing mechanism for superconducting state in fullerides. We first study the intercage interactions between the adjacent C₆₀ cages and expansion of lattice due to the intercalation of alkali atoms based on the spring model to estimate phonon frequencies from the dynamical matrix for the intermolecular alkali- C₆₀ phonons. Electronic parameter as repulsive parameter and the attractive coupling strength are obtained within the random phase approximation. Transition temperature,T _c, is obtained in a situation when the free electrons in lowest molecular orbital are coupled with alkali-C₆₀ phonons as 5 K, which is much lower as compared to reportedT _c (≈ 20 K). The superconducting pairing is mainly driven by the high frequency intramolecular phonons and their effects enhance it to 22 K. To illustrate the usefulness of the above approach, the carbon isotope exponent and the pressure effect are also estimated. Temperature dependence of electrical resistivity is then analysed within the same model phonon spectrum. It is inferred from the two- peak model for phonon density of states that high frequency intramolecular phonon modes play a major role in pairing mechanism with possibly some contribution from alkali-C₆₀ phonon to describe most of the superconducting and normal state properties of doped fullerides.     

Thermal resistance of pressed contacts of aluminum and niobium at liquid helium temperatures

We examine the resistance to heat flow across contacts of mechanically pressed aluminum and niobium near liquid helium temperatures for designing a thermally conducting joint of aluminum and superconducting niobium. Measurements in the temperature range of 3.5–5.5 K show the thermal contact resistance to grow as a near-cubic function of decreasing temperature, indicating phonons to be the primary heat carriers across the interface. In the 4–14 kN range of pressing force the contact resistance shows linear drop with the increasing force, in agreement with the model of micro-asperity plastic deformation at pressed contacts. Several thermal contact resistance models as well as the phonon diffuse mismatch model of interface thermal resistance are compared with the experimental data. The diffuse mismatch model shows closest agreement. The joints are further augmented with thin foil of indium, which lowers the joint resistance by an order of magnitude. The developed joint has nearly 1 K thermal resistance at 4.2 K, is demountable, and free of the thermally resistive interfacial alloy layer that typically exists at welded, casted, or soldered joints of dissimilar metals.     

Micro/nanoscale spatial resolution temperature probing for the interfacial thermal characterization of epitaxial graphene on 4H-SiC

Limited internal phonon coupling and transfer within graphene in the out-of-plane direction significantly affects graphene-substrate interfacial phonon coupling and scattering, and leads to unique interfacial thermal transport phenomena. Through the simultaneous characterization of graphene and SiC Raman peaks, it is possible, for the first time, to distinguish the temperature of a graphene layer and its adjacent 4H-SiC substrate. The thermal probing resolution reaches the nanometer scale with the graphene (≈1.12 nm) and is on the micrometer scale (≈12 μm) within SiC next to the interface. A very high thermal resistance at the interface of 5.30 (-0.46) (+0.46) x 10(-5) Km2 W(-1) is observed by using a Raman frequency method under surface Joule heating. This value is much higher than those from molecular dynamics predictions of 7.01(-1.05) (+1.05) x 10(-1) and 8.47(-0.75) (+0.75) x 10(-10) Km2 w(-1) for surface heat fluxes of 3 × 10(9) and 1 × 10(9) and 1 x 10(10) W m(-2) , respectively. This analysis shows that the measured anomalous thermal contact resistance stems from the thermal expansion mismatch between graphene and SiC under Joule heating. This mismatch leads to interface delamination/separation and significantly enhances local phonon scattering. An independent laser-heating experiment conducted under the same conditions yielded a higher interfacial thermal resistance of 1.01(-0.59) (+1.23) x 10(-4) Km2 W(-1). Furthermore, the peak width method of Raman thermometry is also employed to evaluate the interfacial thermal resistance. The results are 3.52 × 10(-5) and 8.57 × 10(-5) K m2 W(-1) for Joule-heating and laser-heating experiments, respectively, confirming the anomalous thermal resistance between graphene and SiC. The difference in the results from the frequency and peak-width methods is caused by the thermal stress generated in the heating processes.     

Thermal model for the bolometric response of high Tc superconducting films to optical pulses

The voltage response of thin-film high T_c superconductors to electromagnetic radiation is the basis for highly promising optical detectors. Experiments with laser pulses have created a controversy over whether the observed responses are due to a thermal mechanism or caused by a non-equilibrium process. In part, this controversy was caused by inadequate thermal modelling of the bolometric response. The present study applies a rigorous thermal radiation and heat conduction analysis to a high T_c film irradiated by an optical pulse and compares the predicted bolometric voltage response to experimental data. Based on the assumption of thermal boundary resistance between film and substrate as predicted by acoustic mismatch theory, the calculated temperature increase for 200 ns pulses is not sufficient to account for the observed voltage response when the initial film temperature is well below the transition temperature.     

A High Temperature Superconductor (HTSC) Hot Electron (HE) THz Heterodyne Thermal Sensor (HTS): Computational Analysis of Conversion Gain in

The solution of the two temperature (electron and phonon) heat transfer equations, for nonequilibrium elctron–phonon cooling processes happening between electrons, sensor lattice, and the substrate system, is used to express the conversion gain of the thermal sensor in the form of a mathematical analytic expression. The full expression exposes the relative importance of various material and geometry dependent parameters of the device. The detector is pumped by a local infrared laser of picosecond pulses. The external signal is fed to the device through a chopper of frequency close to THz. It is found that in the band of operation GHz–THz frequency (), the time of escape of phonons (t _mes) to the substrate basically controls the performance of the sensor.     

Isotopic Shifts in a Polaronic System

The effect of isotopic substitution in a model polaronic system is presented.We use a three-site many body electron–phonon model which includeselectronic correlations and electron–phonon interactions, showing thepresence of polaron tuneling for intermediate and strong couplings. Theisotopic substitution changes the dynamics of polaron tuneling. Additionallyin the intermediate electron–phonon coupling regime, relevant forhigh-T _c superconductors, a change in the local structure is predicted. Inthis regime, the isotopic shift of phonon excitations is consistent withresults of optical measurements of c-axis phonons in YBa₂Cu₃O₇.     

Effect of Hyperbolic Band Structure on the Energy Loss Rate of Hot Electrons with Non-equilibrium Phonon Distribution in the Extreme Quantum Limit at Low Temperatures in n-Hg0.8Cd0.2Te

The energy loss rate of hot electrons with the non-equilibrium phonons in narrowgap semiconductors with hyperbolic band structures has been investigated in the extreme quantum limit condition in the low temperature region. The calculation is done for n-Hg_0.8Cd_0.2Te sample considering electron scattering by acoustic phonons via piezoelectric coupling to be the dominant loss mechanism. The value of the energy loss rate with hyperbolic band is compared with the results of parabolic and non-parabolic band structures and at the same time all the results are also compared with the experimentally observed data. It is found that with the inclusion of hyperbolic band structure, the value of energy loss rate is found to be close to the experimental values. The dependence of energy loss rate on magnetic field and lattice temperature has been studied. Using the experimental value of the energy loss rate, the phonon life time is evaluated. The value of the phonon life time is found to be of the order of the phonon boundary relaxation time indicating that phonon boundary scattering is the dominant phonon dissipation mechanism. The dependence of the phonon life time on magnetic field, and lattice temperature has also been studied. The phonon life time is also found to decrease with increase in electron temperature.     

Observation of induced longitudinal and shear acoustic phonons by Brillouin scattering

To improve the accuracy of velocity measurements in the Brillouin scattering technique using weak thermal phonons, we have used induced coherent phonons, which intensify the scattering. To induce phonons in the gigahertz range, we used a c-axis tilted ZnO film transducer that was developed in our laboratory. This allowed us to induce longitudinal and shear acoustic phonons effectively at hypersonic frequencies. As a result, we obtained scattered light in the silica glass sample that was much more intense than that obtained from the thermal phonons. Because the Brillouin scattering from induced phonons was measured, the shift frequency was that of the electric signal applied to the ZnO transducer. Strong peaks lead to a reduction of the measurement time. This is useful for two-dimensional mapping of thin film elasticity using Brillouin scattering. Additionally, Brillouin scattering enables the simultaneous measurement of longitudinal and shear phonon velocities in the sample plane. This opens up a potential new technique for non-destructive elasticity measurements of various materials.     

Numerical Analysis of Heat Transport Behavior in the Ferromagnetic Metallic State of La0.80Ca0.20MnO3 Manganites

The lattice contribution to the thermal conductivity (κ_ph) in La_0.80Ca_0.20 MnO₃ manganites is discussed within the Debye-type relaxation rate approximation in terms of the acoustic phonon frequency and relaxation time. The theory is formulated when heat transfer is limited by the scattering of phonons from defects, grain boundaries, charge carriers, and phonons. The lattice thermal conductivity dominates in La–Ca–MnO manganites and is an artifact of strong phonon-impurity and -phonon scattering mechanisms in the ferromagnetic metallic state. The electronic contribution to the thermal conductivity (κ_e) is estimated following the Wiedemann–Franz law. This estimate sets an upper bound on κ_e, and in the vicinity of the Curie temperature (240 K) κ_e is about 1% of total heat transfer of manganites. Another important contribution in the metallic phase should come from spin waves (κ_m). It is noticed that κ_m increases with a T² dependence on the temperature. These channels for heat transfer are algebraically added and κ_tot develops a broad peak at about 55 K, before falling off at lower temperatures. The behavior of the thermal conductivity in manganites is determined by competition among the several operating scattering mechanisms for the heat carriers and a balance between electron, magnon, and phonon contributions. The numerical analysis of heat transfer in the ferromagnetic metallic phase of manganites shows similar results as those revealed from experiments.      

Measurements and modeling of the thermal properties of a calorimeter having a sapphire absorber

The response of a magnetic calorimeter with a sapphire crystal serving as an X-ray absorber has been studied as a function of temperature. Several different Au films were used to connect thermally the magnetic sensor to the absorber. The amplitude and time dependence of the signal resulting from the absorption of an X-ray were fit using an idealized model for the calorimeter. The values of the various parameters resulting from a fit of the data are internally consistent and provide a physical understanding of the processes determining the performance of the calorimeter. The fraction of the energy of the X-ray that is captured by the film without having first been down-converted to thermal phonons in the sapphire is found to depend on both the area and the thickness of the film. The rate at which the energy is transferred between thermal phonons in the sapphire and the electrons in the film is determined by the electron/phonon interaction in the gold. Also, an additional heat capacity was observed to be present in the sapphire, which, for want of a better means of characterization, is ascribed to the tunneling systems. The magnitude of this additional heat capacity and its thermal coupling to the lattice has been studied.     

Electron-Phonon Coupling in Bolometers Used for Cryogenic Particle Detection

Superconducting transition-edge sensors have been used extensively in cryogenic particle detectors, either as thermometers for microcalorimetry or as bolometers for the detection of the prompt phonons resulting from a particle decay in a single crystal absorber. Bolometer action depends upon the energy coupling of the prompt phonons to the bolometer electrons. A study has been made of the electron-phonon coupling for a series of Au-Ti bolometers on a Si substrate and of the use of these bolometers for prompt phonon detection below 1 K. The electron-phonon coupling was found to be proportional to the normalized resistance (R/R _n) of the bolometer; R is the bolometer resistance and R _n is the normal resistance. When extrapolated to R/R _n = 1, this coupling was consistent with /VT ³ = 3 × 10⁹ Wm^–3K^–4 where is the thermal conductance from the bolometer electrons to the Si phonons and V and T are the volume and transition temperature of the bolometer. The response of the bolometers to heat pulses generated by a thin film heater on the opposite face of a Si single crystal were similar to that generally seen above 1 K, apart from a delay time constant that varied from 0.5 to 1.3 µs as the transition temperature decreased from 600 to 200 mK. This delay time constant is attributed to the thermal equilibrium time of normal regions of the bolometer.     

Growth and hydrogenation of epitaxial yttrium switchable mirrors on CaF2

Rutherford backscattering (RBS) ion channeling measurements and X-ray diffraction experiments are performed to study the epitaxial nature of as-deposited yttrium on CaF₂〈111〉 substrates and the effect of hydrogenation on the crystalline quality. The RBS and X-ray results clearly demonstrate the unique epitaxial relation between as-deposited films and the substrate, which is preserved upon loading with hydrogen. X-Ray diffraction reveals: (i) a remarkably large lattice expansion in the direction normal to the substrate, which decreases with increasing film thickness; and (ii) an in-plane compression of the lattice. This peculiar result is related to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients of film and substrate. RBS ion channeling measurements reveal a thickness dependence of the mismatch-induced stresses. As expected, the stresses relax with increasing distance from the film/substrate interface, but surprisingly, even with films as thick as 400 nm considerable dechanneling is still observed at the film surface. Film quality, i.e. the film/substrate mismatch as well as the induced stresses and their relaxation, are discussed in relation to atomic force microscopy (AFM) results on these epitaxial films.     

Acoustic mismatch model and thermal phonon radiation across a tin/sapphire interface with radiation temperatures between 1.6 and 3.7 K

Using a special sandwich arrangement consisting of a constantan film, an insulating oxide layer and a superconducting tin-tunnel junction evaporated on an a-cut sapphire, the temperature jump between tin and sapphire has been measured as function of thermal phonon flux under steady-state and transient conditions using rectangular current pulses in the constantan heater. The tunnel junction serves as a very fast thermometer with a time resolution in the nanosecond range. During the steady-state and the heatup interval, full agreement is found between experimental results, and the predictions of the acoustic mismatch model applied to the phonon transfer across the tin/sapphire interface and under the additional assumption that thermal equilibrium exists between electrons and phonons (one-temperature model). In contrast, very strong deviations are found during the cooling process which starts immediately after the end of the heating pulses. This observed nonequilibrium between electron and phonon system is discussed in more detail in a subsequent paper.     

Interpretation of Temperature-Dependent Resistivity of La–Pb–MnO3: Role of Electron–Phonon Interaction

The present paper deals with the theoretical investigation of temperature-dependent resistivity of the perovskite manganites La_0.78Pb_0.22MnO_3-δ within the framework of the classical electron–phonon model of resistivity, i.e., the Bloch–Gruneisen model. Due to inherent acoustic (low-frequency) phonons (ω_ac) as well as high-frequency optical phonons (ω_op), the contributions to the electron–phonon resistivity have first been estimated. At low temperatures the acoustic phonons of the oxygen-breathing mode yield a relatively larger contribution to the resistivity as compared to the contribution of optical phonons. Furthermore, the nature of phonons changes around T = 215 K exhibiting a crossover from an acoustic to optical phonon regime with elevated temperature. The contribution to resistivity estimated by considering both phonons, i.e., ω_ac and ω_op, when subtracted from experimental data, infers a T^4.5 temperature dependence over most of the temperature range. Deduced T^4.5 temperature dependence of ρ_diff = [ρ_exp − {ρ₀ + ρ_e-ph( = ρ_ac + ρ_op)}] is justified in terms of electron–magnon scattering within the double exchange (DE) process. Within the proposed scheme, the present numerical analysis of temperature dependent resistivity shows similar results as those revealed by experiments     

High thermal conductivity in short-period superlattices

The thermal conductivity of ideal short-period superlattices is computed using harmonic and anharmonic force constants derived from density-functional perturbation theory and by solving the Boltzmann transport equation in the single-mode relaxation time approximation, using silicon-germanium as a paradigmatic case. We show that in the limit of small superlattice period the computed thermal conductivity of the superlattice can exceed that of both the constituent materials. This is found to be due to a dramatic reduction in the scattering of acoustic phonons by optical phonons, leading to very long phonon lifetimes. By variation of the mass mismatch between the constituent materials in the superlattice, it is found that this enhancement in thermal conductivity can be engineered, providing avenues to achieve high thermal conductivities in nanostructured materials.     

Delamination of thin film strips

Delamination of residually stressed thin film strips is analyzed to expose the dependence on strip width and film/substrate elastic mismatch. Isotropic films and substrates are assumed. The residual stress in the film is tensile and assumed to originate from mismatch due to thermal expansion or epitaxial deposition. Full and partial delamination modes are explored. In full delamination, the interface crack extends across the entire width of the strip and releases all the elastic energy stored in the strip as the crack propagates along the interface. The energy release rate available to propagate the interface crack is a strong function of the strip width and the elastic modulus of the film relative to that of the substrate. The energy release rate associated with full delamination is determined as a function of the interface crack length from initiation to steady-state, revealing a progression of behavior depending in an essential way on the three dimensionality of the strip. The dependence of the energy release rate on the remaining ligament as the interface crack converges with the strip end has also been calculated, and the results provide an effective means for inferring interface toughness from crack arrest position. A partial delamination propagates along the strip leaving a narrow width of strip attached to the substrate. In this case, the entire elastic energy stored in the strip is not released because the strain component parallel to the strip is not relaxed. A special application is also considered, in which a residually stressed metal superlayer is deposited onto a polymer strip. The energy release rate for an interface crack propagating along the interface between the polymer and the substrate is determined in closed form.