Theoretical Modeling of Obliquely Crossed Photothermal Deflection for Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Thin Films

A three-dimensional theoretical model has been developed to calculate the normal probe beam deflection of the obliquely crossed photothermal deflection configuration in samples which consist of thin films deposited on substrates. Utilizing the dependence of the normal component of probe beam deflection on the cross-point position of the excitation and probe beams, the thermal conductivity of the thin film can be extracted from the ratio of the two maxima of the normal deflection amplitude, which occurs when the cross-point is located near both surfaces of the sample. The effects of other parameters, including the iIntersect angle between the excitation and the probe beams in the sample, the modulation frequency of the excitation beam, the optical absorption and thickness of the thin films, and the thermal properties of substrates on the thermal conductivity measurement of the thin film, are discussed. The obliquely crossed photothermal deflection technique seems to be well suited for thermal conductivity measurements of thin films with a high thermal conductivity but a low optical absorption, such as diamond and diamond-like carbon, deposited on substrates with a relatively low thermal conductivity.