Measuring thermal conductivity of nano- and microfilms using lasers

Professor: Zhiting Tian

Project Description: Understanding the thermal conductivity of ultrathin films is essential to intentionally design micro-/nano-devices with efficient heat dissipation or insulation for energy applications and beyond. In this project, you will learn a non-contact, laser-based technique — frequency-domain thermoreflectance — to measure the thermal conductivity of ultrathin films in ZT group. You will also have the opportunity to learn e-beam evaporation and AFM in the clean room, and MATLAB coding. If you are interested in exposing yourself to fundamentals of nanoscale thermal transport and their novel applications, this is a place to get started!