Thermal Spreading Resistance of Surface Adjacent Localized Heating-Induced Size Effects in Semiconductors

Abstract

Localized heating is encountered in various scenarios, including the operation of transistors, light-emitting diodes, and some thermal spectroscopy techniques. When localized heating occurs on a scale comparable to the mean free path of the dominant energy carriers, additional thermal resistance is observed due to ballistic effects. The main objective of this study is to find a relation between this resistance, problem geometry, and material thermal properties in situations involving localized heating. Models based on the solution of the Fourier heat diffusion equation and the gray phonon Boltzmann Transport Equation are solved simultaneously to calculate the additional thermal resistances that arise from surface adjacent localized heating. Subsequently, the results are analyzed to derive the desired relationship. It is noted that in the context of localized heating resistance, the effects of geometrical variables are nonlinear and substantial, particularly when the Knudsen numbers for the boundary and heat source exceed certain thresholds. Specifically, when the Knudsen number for the surface adjacent heat source exceed 1, localized heating resistance is observed. However, when the Knudsen number based on heat source height and width surpasses 8 and 20, respectively the heat source behaves akin to a point source, no longer significantly affecting the localized heating resistance. At this juncture, the maximum resistance limit is reached.