Thermal Properties of Thin Film Uranium Oxides and Thorium Oxides

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Thorum ◽  
Logan Page ◽  
Troy Munro ◽  
David Allred ◽  
Zilong Hua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Thermal Property ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Oxygen Mixture ◽  
Electron Interaction ◽  
Thermal Waves ◽  
Characterization Methods

Abstract Uranium and thorium oxides have critical roles as fuels in existing nuclear power plants, as well as in proposed reactor concepts. The thermal conductivity of these materials determines their ability to transfer heat from the reactor core to the surrounding coolant. Additionally, these actinide compounds are of interest in condensed matter physics because of the 5f orbitals and unique electron interaction, coupling, and scattering events that can occur. Because of the radioactivity of thorium and uranium, thin film measurements of actinide materials are used to limit the amount of operator exposure, but standard thermal characterization methods are not well suited for thin films. This paper presents the process of depositing thin film UOx and ThOx samples of nm-μm thicknesses and the results of thermal property measurements. Thin films were deposited on silicon and glass substrates via dc-magnetron sputtering using an argon/oxygen mixture as the working gas. The thermal properties of the films were measured by the Thermal Conductivity Microscope (TCM). This uses one laser to generate thermal waves and a second laser to measure the magnitude and phases of the thermal waves to obtain the conductivity of materials. The results of the research show that the UOx film properties are lower than bulk values and that the role of the substrate has a considerable effect on determining the measured properties. Future work aims at improving the deposition process. Epitaxial film growth is planned. Additional understanding of thermal property measurements is targeted.

Thermal Properties of Thin Films

1992 ◽  
Vol 284 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Lambropoulos ◽  
S.-S. Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Thermal Resistance ◽  
Interfacial Thermal Resistance ◽  
Bulk Solid ◽  
Ceramic Films ◽  
Film Substrate ◽  
Conductivity Of Thin Films

ABSTRACTWe summarize various measurements of the thermal conductivity of thin ceramic films which show that the thermal conductivity of thin films with thickness in the micron and sub-micron range may be up to two orders of magnitude lower than the thermal conductivityof the corresponding bulk solid. The reduction in the thin film effective thermal conductivity is attributed to the interfacial thermal resistance across the film/substrate interface.

Improvement of Thermal Conductivity of Electroplated Copper Interconnections by Controlling Their Crystallinity

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaru Gotoh ◽  
Ken Suzuki ◽  
Hideo Miura
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Joule Heating ◽  
Seed Layer ◽  
Lattice Mismatch ◽  
Copper Thin Film ◽  
Electroplated Copper

Electroplated copper thin films are indispensable for the interconnections in the advanced electronic products, such as TSV (trough silicon via) structures, fine bumps, and thin-film interconnections in various devices and interposers. However, it has been reported that both electrical and mechanical properties of the films vary drastically comparing with those of conventional bulk copper. The main reason for the variation can be attributed to the fluctuation of the crystallinity of grains and grain boundaries in the films. Porous or sparse grain boundaries cause the increase in electrical resistivity and the embrittlement of the films. Thus, the thermal conductivity of the electroplated copper thin films should be varied drastically depending on their micro texture based on Wiedemann-Franz law. Since copper interconnections are used for not only electrical conductor but also thermal heat conductor, it is important to clarify the relationship between the crystallinity and thermal properties of the films. In this study, the local distributions of the crystallinity and physical properties were investigated experimentally. As the result of the temperature distribution due to local Joule heating along an interconnection, it was suggested that the variation in the quality of the grain boundaries in the electroplated copper thin-films caused the non-uniformity of the resistivity and thus, Joule heating in the thin films. In this study, the effect of the seed layer material on the thermal properties of the electroplated copper thin film was investigated. When a Ru seed layer was deposited as a buffer layer between the electroplated copper thin film and the Ta diffusion barrier layer, both the crystallinity and uniformity of grain boundaries in the electroplated copper films were improved since lattice mismatch between copper and the seed layer metal was decreased. The improvement of the crystallinity increased the long-term reliability of the interconnections under the loads of electromigration and stress-induced migration.

Determination of Thermal Conductivity of Amorphous Silicon Thin Films via Non-Contacting Optical Probing

2006 ◽  
Vol 326-328 ◽  
pp. 689-692
Author(s):  
Seung Jae Moon
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Optical Transmission ◽  
Film Deposition ◽  
Transmission Measurement ◽  
Conductive Heat ◽  
Optical Transmission Measurement

The thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films is determined by using the non-intrusive, in-situ optical transmission measurement. The thermal conductivity of a-Si is a key parameter in understanding the mechanism of the recrystallization of polysilicon (p-Si) during the laser annealing process to fabricate the thin film transistors with uniform characteristics which are used as switches in the active matrix liquid crystal displays. Since it is well known that the physical properties are dependent on the process parameters of the thin film deposition process, the thermal conductivity should be measured. The temperature dependence of the film complex refractive index is determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. A nanosecond KrF excimer laser at the wavelength of 248 nm is used to raise the temperature of the thin films without melting of the thin film. In-situ transmission signal is obtained during the heating process. The acquired transmission signal is fitted with predictions obtained by coupling conductive heat transfer with multi-layer thin film optics in the optical transmission measurement.

Improvement of Thermal Conductivity of Electroplated Copper Thin-Film Interconnections by Controlling Their Micro Texture

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pornvitoo Rittinon ◽  
Ken Suzuki ◽  
Hideo Miura
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Diffraction Method ◽  
Electron Back Scatter Diffraction ◽  
High Resistivity ◽  
Copper Thin Film ◽  
Electroplated Copper ◽  
The Relationship

Copper thin films are indispensable for the interconnections in the advanced electronic products, such as TSV (Trough Silicon Via), fine bumps, and thin-film interconnections in various devices and interposers. However, it has been reported that both electrical and mechanical properties of the films vary drastically comparing with those of conventional bulk copper. The main reason for the variation can be attributed to the fluctuation of the crystallinity of grain boundaries in the films. Porous or sparse grain boundaries show very high resistivity and brittle fracture characteristic in the films. Thus, the thermal conductivity of the electroplated copper thin films should be varied drastically depending on their micro texture based on the Wiedemann-Franz’s law. Since the copper interconnections are used not only for the electrical conduction but also for the thermal conduction, it is very important to quantitatively evaluate the crystallinity of the polycrystalline thin-film materials and clarify the relationship between the crystallinity and thermal properties of the films. The crystallinity of the interconnections were quantitatively evaluated using an electron back-scatter diffraction method. It was found that the porous grain boundaries which contain a significant amount of vacancies increase the local electrical resistance in the interconnections, and thus, cause the local high Joule heating. Such porous grain boundaries can be eliminated by control the crystallinity of the seed layer material on which the electroplated copper thin film is electroplated.

scholarly journals Thermal properties of closed-cell aluminum foam with circular pores

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1619-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo-Yun Lu ◽  
Bu-Yun Su ◽  
Zhi-Qiang Li ◽  
Zhi-Hua Wang ◽  
Wei-Dong Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Thermal Property ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Aluminum Foam ◽  
Slight Effect ◽  
Apparent Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Closed Cell ◽  
Simulation Results

The thermal property of closed-cell aluminum foam is studied numerically and the effects of the distribution of the circular pore on the thermal property are studied theoretically. When the convection and radiation are ignored, the effects of porosity, cell size, and distribution forms of pore on the apparent thermal conductivity are investigated. Moreover, the effects of air in the pore on the thermal property are analyzed as well. Simulation results show that apparent thermal conductivity linearly increases with the increase of porosity, while the cell size and the distribution have negligible effects on the thermal property. By comparison, thermal conductivity of air has slight effect on thermal property of foamed aluminum in the context of small size pore.

Synthesis and Characterization of Nanofluids Useful in Concentrated Solar Power Plants Produced by New Mixing Methodologies for Large-Scale Production

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manila Chieruzzi ◽  
Adio Miliozzi ◽  
Tommaso Crescenzi ◽  
José M. Kenny ◽  
Luigi Torre
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Specific Heat ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Alumina Nanoparticles ◽  
Energy Storage Materials ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Salt Mixture ◽  
Silica Alumina

In this study, different nanofluids (NFs) were developed by mixing a molten salt mixture (60% NaNO3–40% KNO3) with 1.0 wt % of silica–alumina nanoparticles using different methods. These NFs can be used as thermal energy storage materials in concentrating solar plants with a reduction of storage material if the thermal properties of the base fluid are increased. New mixing procedures without sonication were introduced with the aim to avoid the sonication step and to allow the production of a greater amount of NF with a procedure potentially more suitable for large-scale productions. For this purpose, two mechanical mixers and a magnetic stirrer were used. Each NF was prepared in aqueous solution with a concentration of 100 g/l. The effect of different concentrations (300 g/l and 500 g/l) was also studied with the most effective mixer. Specific heat, melting temperature, and latent heat were measured by means of differential scanning calorimeter. Thermal conductivity and diffusivity in the solid state were also evaluated. The results show that the highest increase of the specific heat was obtained with 100 g/l both in solid (up to 31%) and in liquid phase (up to 14%) with the two mechanical mixers. The same NFs also showed higher amount of stored heat. An increase in thermal conductivity and diffusivity was also detected for high solution concentrations with a maximum of 25% and 47%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses revealed that the grain size in the NFs is much smaller than in the salt mixture, especially for the NF showing the highest thermal properties increase, and a better nanoparticles distribution is achieved with the lowest concentration. NFs with enhanced thermal properties can be synthesized in a cost-effective form in high concentrated aqueous solutions by using mechanical mixers.

Temperature Dependence of Thermal Conductivity of Amorphous and Crystal Thin Film by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengxing Huang ◽  
Zhenan Tang ◽  
Suyuan Bai ◽  
Jun Yu
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Temperature Dependence ◽  
Amorphous Materials ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Amorphous Sio2 ◽  
Film Boundary ◽  
Different Temperatures

For crystal materials, thermal conductivity (TC) is proportional to T3 at low temperatures and to T−1 at high temperatures. TCs of most amorphous materials decrease with the decreasing temperatures. If a material is thin film, boundary will influence the TC and then influence the temperature dependence. In this paper, we calculate the TC of crystal and amorphous SiO2 thin films, which is a commonly used material in micro devices and Integrated Circuits, by NEMD simulations. The calculation temperatures are from 100K to 700K and the thicknesses are from 2nm to 8nm. TCs of crystal thin films reach their peak values at different temperatures for different thicknesses. The smaller thickness the larger peak values obtained. But for amorphous thin films, the results show that the temperature dependence of thin films is the same as bulk materials and not relative to their thicknesses. The obtained temperature dependence of the thin films is consistent with some previous measurements and the theory predictions.

scholarly journals Thermal properties of thin films made from MoS2 nanoflakes and probed via statistical optothermal Raman method

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz P. Gertych ◽  
Anna Łapińska ◽  
Karolina Czerniak-Łosiewicz ◽  
Anna Dużyńska ◽  
Mariusz Zdrojek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Measurement Accuracy ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Gaussian Laser Beam ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Heat Management ◽  
Improve Measurement ◽  
Stability Issues

Abstract A deep understanding of the thermal properties of 2D materials is crucial to their implementation in electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this study, we investigated the macroscopic in-plane thermal conductivity (κ) and thermal interface conductance (g) of large-area (mm2) thin film made from MoS2 nanoflakes via liquid exfoliation and deposited on Si/SiO2 substrate. We found κ and g to be 1.5 W/mK and 0.23 MW/m2K, respectively. These values are much lower than those of single flakes. This difference shows the effects of interconnections between individual flakes on macroscopic thin film parameters. The properties of a Gaussian laser beam and statistical optothermal Raman mapping were used to obtain sample parameters and significantly improve measurement accuracy. This work demonstrates how to address crucial stability issues in light-sensitive materials and can be used to understand heat management in MoS2 and other 2D flake-based thin films.

Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity and Heat Capacity of Freestanding Shape Memory Thin Films Using the 3ω Method

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankur Jain ◽  
Kenneth E. Goodson
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Heat Capacity ◽  
Shape Memory ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Thermal Response ◽  
Temperature Phase ◽  
Property Measurement ◽  
Low Temperature Phase

An accurate measurement of the thermophysical properties of freestanding thin films is essential for modeling and predicting thermal performance of microsystems. This paper presents a method for simultaneous measurement of in-plane thermal conductivity and heat capacity of freestanding thin films based on the thermal response to a sinusoidal electric current. An analytical model for the temperature response of a freestanding thin film to a sinusoidal heating current passing through a metal heater patterned on top of the thin film is derived. Freestanding thin-film samples of silicon nitride and nickel titanium (NiTi), a shape memory alloy, are microfabricated and characterized. The thermal conductivity of thin-film NiTi, which increases linearly between 243K and 313K, is 40% lower than the bulk value at room temperature. The heat capacity of NiTi also increases linearly with temperature in the low temperature phase and is nearly constant above 280K. The measurement technique developed in this work is expected to contribute to an accurate thermal property measurement of thin-film materials. Thermophysical measurements on NiTi presented in this work are expected to aid in an accurate thermal modeling of microdevices based on the shape memory effect.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation on the Out-of Plane Thermal Conductivity of Single-Crystal Carbon Thin Films

2009 ◽  
Vol 60-61 ◽  
pp. 430-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Li Zhang ◽  
Zhao Wei Sun ◽  
Guo Qiang Wu
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Potential Energy ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Single Crystal ◽  
Diamond Crystal ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Crystal Direction

In this article, we select corresponding Tersoff potential energy to build potential energy model and investigate the thermal conductivities of single-crystal carbon thin-film. The equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) method is used to calculate the nanometer thin film thermal conductivity of diamond crystal at crystal direction (001), and the non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) is used to calculate the nanometer thin film thermal conductivity of diamond crystal at crystal direction (111). The results of calculations demonstrate that the nanometer thin film thermal conductivity of diamond crystal is remarkably lower than the corresponding bulk experimental data and increase with increasing the film thickness, and the nanometer thin film thermal conductivity of diamond crystal relates to film thickness linearly in the simulative range. The nanometer thin film thermal conductivity also demonstrates certain regularity with the change of temperature. This work shows that molecular dynamics, applied under the correct conditions, is a viable tool for calculating the thermal conductivity of nanometer thin films.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document