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Enhancing Thermal Interface Conductance to Graphene Using Ni-Pd Alloy Contacts
Dipanjan Saha1, Xiaoxiao Yu2, Yanhao Du3
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|July 2, 2020
Summary
Researchers discovered that specific nickel-palladium (Ni-Pd) alloys significantly enhance thermal contacts to graphene, achieving nearly double the conductance of pure metals. This finding is crucial for developing advanced two-dimensional electronic devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Efficient thermal management is critical for the performance and reliability of advanced electronic devices, particularly those utilizing two-dimensional (2D) materials like graphene.
- Traditional thermal contacts often rely on pure metals, which may not provide optimal thermal interface conductance (TIC) for 2D materials.
- Exploring alloy compositions offers a promising avenue for discovering superior contact materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the Ni-Pd alloy composition spectrum for optimal thermal contacts to monolayer graphene.
- To evaluate the influence of a Cr adhesion layer on the thermal interface conductance.
- To identify material compositions and microstructures that maximize metal/graphene/SiO2 junction thermal interface conductance.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a high-throughput methodology to explore Ni-Pd alloy compositions and Cr adhesion layer thicknesses.
- Frequency domain thermoreflectance (FDTR) measurements to quantify thermal interface conductance.
- High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for cross-sectional imaging and microstructural analysis.
Main Results:
- A maximum metal/graphene/SiO2 junction thermal interface conductance of 114 ± (39, 25) MW/m²K was achieved at approximately 10 atomic percent Pd in Ni-Pd alloy.
- This peak conductance is nearly double that of pure metals and three times that of pure Ni or Pd.
- The presence of a Cr adhesion layer, regardless of thickness, was found to suppress the maximum thermal interface conductance.
Conclusions:
- Nickel-palladium alloys, particularly compositions near a miscibility gap, offer significantly superior thermal contacts to graphene compared to pure metals.
- The observed enhancement in thermal conductance at specific alloy compositions may be related to phase separation and unique microstructural features.
- Alloys represent a promising frontier for developing advanced thermal management solutions for next-generation 2D material-based devices.
