Thermal conductivity measurement of submicron-thick films deposited on substrates by modified ac calorimetry (laser-heating Angstrom method)

Technological development, especially in microelectronics. necessitates the development of new and improved methods for measuring the thermal properties of materials, especially in the form of ultrathin films. Previously, modified ac calorimetry (laser-heating Angstrom method) using a scanning laser as the energy source was developed and shown to provide accurate values of thermal diffusivity and derived thermal conductivity for a broad range of materials in the form of free-standing thin sheets or films, wires including fiber bundles, and some films on substrates. This payer describes further applications of the modified ac-calorimetry technique for measurements of the thermal conductivity of thin films deposited on substrates. It was used to measure successfully the thermal conductivities of 1000- to 3000-A-thick aluminum nitride films, aluminum oxide films, etc., which were deposited on a glass substrate. It was also shown to be suitable for developmental measurements on submicron-thick chromatic films deposited on a PET substrate, which are photothermal recording layers, used in the media of CD-R drives of computer systems.