Thermal Diffusivity and Thermal Conductivity of Copper Thin Films at Ambient Conditions

Abstract

The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of copper/glass films with thicknesses from 20 to 200 nm were determined at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. An electronic system was used to obtain the heating profiles of the copper films by applying current pulses during short periods (microseconds), avoiding the thermal effect of the substrate. The thermal properties of copper films were estimated from the initial heating slope of the temperature profiles obtained at room conditions. The specific heat values showed an increase from () to , although the thermal diffusivity and the thermal conductivity values decrease from to and from () to , respectively, when the film thickness decreases from 200 to 20 nm. The tendencies of the thermal properties are attributed to a decrease of the grain size values from () to when the film thickness changes from 200 to 20 nm.