The time-domain thermoreflectance metrology is applied to evaluate the thermal conductivities of filler particles embedded in a composite matrix. Specifically, a system of glass and ceramic microspheres with a diameter of 100 to 150 μm embedded in an epoxy matrix was used as a representation of a typical composite thermal interface material (TIM) suitable for microelectronics applications. These measurements provide a direct characterization of the thermal properties of filler materials. The measured thermal conductivities of both borosilicate glass and yttria stabilized zirconia microspheres agree well with literature values for bulk materials, whereas the thermal conductivity of the alumina microspheres is nearly 50% lower than that of bulk crystals. The reduction in thermal conductivity of the alumina microspheres highlights how important this level of understanding is for TIM development and is attributed to enhanced phonon scattering due to structural heterogeneity, such as defects induced by phase mixing and microvoids. Combining sample preparation, structural characterization, and direct thermal measurements, our study reveals the structure–thermal property relationship for individual microspheres. The results of this work can facilitate the design and engineering of composite-based thermally conductive materials for thermal management applications.
Skip Nav Destination
Direct measurements of thermal transport in glass and ceramic microspheres embedded in an epoxy matrix
CHORUS
Article navigation
12 July 2021
Research Article|
July 13 2021
Direct measurements of thermal transport in glass and ceramic microspheres embedded in an epoxy matrix

Matthew F. Thompson;
Matthew F. Thompson
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Xuewang Wu;
Xuewang Wu
a)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Dingbin Huang
;
Dingbin Huang
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Yingying Zhang;
Yingying Zhang
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Nicholas C. A. Seaton;
Nicholas C. A. Seaton
2
Characterization Facility, University of Minnesota
, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Chi Zhang;
Chi Zhang
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Matthew T. Johnson
;
Matthew T. Johnson
3
3M Company
, 3M Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55144, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Jacob P. Podkaminer;
Jacob P. Podkaminer
3
3M Company
, 3M Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55144, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Victor Ho;
Victor Ho
3
3M Company
, 3M Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55144, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Xiaojia Wang
Xiaojia Wang
b)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
b)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Present address: Seagate Technology, Bloomington, MN 55455, USA
b)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Appl. Phys. Lett. 119, 023904 (2021)
Article history
Received:
April 24 2021
Accepted:
June 20 2021
Connected Content
A companion article has been published:
Characterizing the microscale thermal conductivity of industrial filler materials for thermal composites
Citation
Matthew F. Thompson, Xuewang Wu, Dingbin Huang, Yingying Zhang, Nicholas C. A. Seaton, Chi Zhang, Matthew T. Johnson, Jacob P. Podkaminer, Victor Ho, Xiaojia Wang; Direct measurements of thermal transport in glass and ceramic microspheres embedded in an epoxy matrix. Appl. Phys. Lett. 12 July 2021; 119 (2): 023904. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0055038
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Citing articles via
Roadmap on photonic metasurfaces
Sebastian A. Schulz, Rupert. F. Oulton, et al.
Sputter epitaxy of ScAlN films on GaN high electron mobility transistor structures
Tomoya Okuda, Shunsuke Ota, et al.
Special issue APL organic and hybrid photodetectors
Karl Leo, Canek Fuentes-Hernandez, et al.
Related Content
Overlap welded joint strength of 2.0 GPa-strength steel sheets using single-mode laser wobbling
J. Laser Appl. (September 2022)