Thermal boundary resistance from transient nanocalorimetry: A multiscale modeling approach

The thermal boundary resistance at the interface between a nanosized Al film and an Al2O3 substrate is investigated at an atomistic level. The thermal dynamics occurring in time-resolved thermoreflectance experiments is then modeled via macrophysics equations upon insertion of the materials parameters obtained from atomistic simulations. Electrons and phonons nonequilibrium and spatiotemporal temperatures inhomogeneities are found to persist up to the nanosecond time scale. These results question the validity of the commonly adopted lumped thermal capacitance model in interpreting transient nanocalorimetry experiments. The strategy adopted in the literature to extract the thermal boundary resistance from transient reflectivity traces is revised in the light of the present findings. The results are of relevance beyond the specific system, the physical picture being general and readily extendable to other heterojunctions.