The flows of heat and electricity in a column-type micro-thermoelectric cooler are analyzed by modeling the various interfacial resistances. Electron (barrier tunneling) and phonon (diffuse mismatch) boundary resistances at the thermoelectric/metal interface, and thermal non-equilibrium between electrons and phonons adjacent to this interface (cooling length), increase the thermal conduction re...

Title of Document: EVALUATION OF THERMAL INTERFACE MATERIALS AND THE LASER FLASH METHOD Vinh Khuu, Doctor of Philosophy, 2009 Directed By: Chair Professor, Michael Pecht, Department of Mechanical Engineering Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used to reduce the interfacial thermal resistance between the chip and the heat sink, which has become a bottleneck to heat removal in a variety of el...

A control system using a low-drift power-feedback signal was implemented applying thermal waves, giving a sensor output independent of resistance drift and thermo-electric offset voltages on interface wires. Kelvin-contact sensing and power control is used on heater resistors, thereby inhibiting the influence of heater resistance drift. The thermal waves are detected with a sensing resistor usi...

Thermoelastic deformations can have a significant effect on the contact between elastic bodies, particularly in cases where the thermal boundary conditions at the interface are influenced by the contact pressure. In the classical Hertzian problem, the size of the contact area depends on the magnitude and direction of heat flow between the bodies. Idealized thermal boundary conditions can lead t...

Thermal death of cancerous cells may be induced by radiating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) selectively attached via functionalization to the targeted cells. A distribution of SWNTs inside cancerous cells, on their surface, or in the inter-cellular fluid may occur during this treatment process. This work applies a random walk algorithm to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of ...

A Time Domain Thermo-Reflectance technique (TDTR) is used for the non-destructive evaluation of thermal and acoustic properties of Si/SiGe superlattices (SL) at room temperature. In particular, this technique allows the determination of the SL cross-plan thermal conductivity, the thermal boundary resistance at the interface between the metallic film and the SL, and the longitudinal sound veloci...

Accurate information on heat transfer and temperature distribution in metal foams is necessary for design and modelling of thermal-hydraulic systems incorporating metal foams. The analysis of heat transfer requires determination of the effective thermal conductivity as well as the thermal contact resistance (TCR) associated with the interface between the metal foam and the adjacent surfaces/lay...

background: the rationale was to develop an ablation approach to destroy regions of tumor resistant to radiation and thus reduce the time required for whole tumor ablation, while improving overall tumor control after radiotherapy. materials and methods: the system is composed of a micro positron emission tomography (mpet), 7t magnetic resonance imaging (mri), and a customized mri-compatible foc...