On the Linear Temperature Dependence of Phonon Thermal Boundary Conductance in the Classical Limit

We present a new model for predicting thermal boundary conductance in the classical limit. This model takes a different form than those of the traditionally used mismatch theories in the fact that the temperature dependence of thermal boundary conductance is driven by the phononic scattering mechanisms of the materials comprising the interface as opposed to the heat capacities of those materials. The model developed in this work assumes that a phonon on one side of an interface may not scatter at the interface itself but instead scatter with phonons in the adjacent material via the scattering processes intrinsic in the adjacent material. We find that this model is in good agreement with classical molecular dynamics simulations of phonon transport across a Si/Ge interface.