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Ballistic Phonon Penetration Depth in Amorphous Silicon Dioxide.

Lin Yang1, Qian Zhang1, Zhiguang Cui2

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States.

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|November 1, 2017
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Thermal phonons can travel ballistically through amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO2) layers up to 5 nm thick, challenging traditional models of heat transport in disordered materials for nanoelectronic thermal management.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Traditional models describe heat transport in amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO2) as phonon diffusion due to its disordered structure.
  • This model suggests a phonon mean free path (MFP) limited to interatomic distances, impacting thermal management in nanoelectronics.
  • Understanding thermal transport in thin a-SiO2 films is crucial for precise thermal control in modern electronic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the in-plane thermal conductivity of silicon nanoribbons with embedded amorphous silicon dioxide layers.
  • To challenge the conventional view of phonon transport in a-SiO2 by exploring ballistic transport mechanisms.
  • To determine the extent of phonon penetration through thin a-SiO2 layers at room temperature.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of double silicon nanoribbon structures with varying thicknesses of amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO2) sandwiched in between.
  • Measurement of in-plane thermal conductivity by comparing double-ribbon samples to reference single-ribbon samples.
  • Systematic variation of a-SiO2 layer thickness and van der Waals bonding strengths to analyze phonon transport.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that thermal phonons can ballistically penetrate amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO2) layers up to 5 nm thick at room temperature.
  • Quantified the average ballistic phonon penetration depth in a-SiO2 through experimental analysis of double nanoribbon samples.
  • Provided experimental evidence contradicting the traditional phonon diffusion model for thin a-SiO2 films.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides critical experimental evidence for ballistic phonon transport in amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO2) thin films.
  • Findings challenge the long-held assumption of phonon diffusion limited by interatomic distances in a-SiO2.
  • This research offers essential insights for optimizing thermal management strategies in nanoelectronic devices utilizing thin a-SiO2 layers.