title: General bidirectional thermal characterization via the 3ω technique.
abstract: The 3ω technique has become a popular method for determining the thermophysical properties of microscale and bulk materials. The prerequisite fabrication of a highly linear metal line a few hundred nanometers thick on the sample can be a failing point in specific material systems. This difficulty can be overcome by utilizing a bidirectional experimental geometry that employs a contact resistance between the sample and heating wire, which also allows for data collection under varying axial pressure loads. In this work, such a system is demonstrated with an emphasis on developing a thermal mount that will optimize sensitivity to the thermophysical parameters of interest: the sample's thermal conductivity, volumetric heat capacity, and the contact resistance between the sample and mount. A general thermal model is presented that can be simplified to analyze nearly any similar system. This model is then employed to analyze a sample in the mounting scheme described with varying applied pressures to demonstrate the general feasibility of the system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Norris