Comprehensive measurement of three-dimensional thermal conductivity tensor using a beam-offset square-pulsed source (BO-SPS) approach

Abstract

Accurately measuring the three-dimensional thermal conductivity tensor is essential for understanding and engineering the thermal behavior of anisotropic materials. Existing methods often struggle to isolate individual tensor elements, leading to large measurement uncertainties and time-consuming iterative fitting procedures. In this study, we introduce the Beam-Offset Square-Pulsed Source (BO-SPS) method for comprehensive measurements of three-dimensional anisotropic thermal conductivity tensors. This method uses square-pulsed heating and precise temperature rise measurements to achieve high signal-to-noise ratios, even with large beam offsets and low modulation frequencies, enabling the isolation of thermal conductivity tensor elements. We demonstrate and validate the BO-SPS method by measuring X-cut and AT-cut quartz samples. For X-cut quartz, with a known relationship between in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities, we can determine the full thermal conductivity tensor and heat capacity simultaneously. For AT-cut quartz, assuming a known heat capacity, we can determine the entire anisotropic thermal conductivity tensor, even with finite off-diagonal elements. Our results yield consistent principal thermal conductivity values for both quartz types, demonstrating the method's reliability and accuracy. This research highlights the BO-SPS method's potential to advance the understanding of thermal behavior in complex materials.