Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-assisted non-destructive transient thermoreflectance characterizations

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Thermal Analysis
• Surface Science

Background:

• Conventional pump-probe thermoreflectance (TR) requires thin metal transducers, often applied via methods that can damage samples.
• Metal coating can introduce impurities or create mixed layers, compromising measurement accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a non-destructive pump-probe transient thermoreflectance (TTR) characterization method.
• To enable accurate thermal property measurements on sensitive samples without permanent alteration.

Main Methods:

• Utilized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-assisted dry transfer to deposit transducer metals (Au, Al) onto substrates.
• Investigated the use of Au as a transition layer for Al transfer in TTR.
• Performed substrate thermal conductivity and thermal boundary conductance measurements.

Main Results:

• The PDMS-assisted metal transfer technique effectively avoids sample damage and impurities.
• Transferred metals (Au, Al) are suitable for TTR measurements, exhibiting low substrate bonding.
• Large-area Al/Au transfer is achievable at room temperature, offering an advantage over Au alone.
• Samples can be restored to their original state post-measurement.

Conclusions:

• PDMS-assisted metal transfer provides a simple, reliable, and non-destructive approach for TTR characterization.
• This method expands the applicability of TTR to a wider range of delicate or irreplaceable samples.
• The technique facilitates accurate thermal property analysis without compromising sample integrity.