Measurement of the thermal diffusivity of thin films on substrate by the photoacoustic method

Measurements of the thermal diffusivity of thin films on substrate have been performed by the photoacoustic method. In order to examine the method we have built a new apparatus and proposed (1) a system calibration procedure using optically and thermally thick reference samples and (2) a data analysis procedure based on the RG (Rosencwaig and Gersho) theory. As a result of using a transparent photoacoustic cell, the systematic errors which are caused by stray light have been reduced. With this apparatus, measurements have been performed on platinum, titanium, and stainless steel (SUS304) thin foils (thickness form 50 to 100 µm) with three different liquid backing materials (water, glycerol, and ethyl alcohol). The reproducibility was within ±7% regardless of film thickness and substrate materials.