Improving the interfacial thermal conductance between Cr–Ni alloy and dielectric by a metal interlayer

Abstract

As the size of transistors in electronic devices continues to shrink and power density increases, the effective thermal management has become essential. The interfacial thermal resistance now represents a key bottleneck in further miniaturizing and powering high-performance electronic products. In this study, we used the differential 3ω method to investigate the effects of different metal interlayers on the interfacial thermal conductance of the Cr0.22Ni0.78/Al2O3 interface. Specifically, a Cu interlayer of 17 nm or a Cr interlayer of 5 nm doubled the interfacial thermal conductance (ITC) compared to that of the pure Cr0.22Ni0.78/Al2O3 interface. In contrast, the Au interlayer reduces the ITC of the Cr0.22Ni0.78/Al2O3 interface. Furthermore, the phonon spectral analysis revealed that the Cu or Cr interlayer acts as a phonon bridge, alleviating the phonon mismatch between the Cr0.22Ni0.78 and Al2O3 layers. This study advances the understanding of the interlayer effects on the ITC of Cr0.22Ni0.78/Al2O3 interface and provides valuable guidance for improving the ITC between metal and dielectric materials in electronic applications.