Precision Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity for Thin Layers by a Customised Laser Pulse Method

Knowledge about thermal properties of relevant materials is an important part in development and research in electronics as well as in material sciences. This motivates the development of equipment capable to determine thermal characteristics of a sample at one's disposal. One of those properties of interest is the thermal diffusivity á. It is commonly measured using the flash method introduced by Parker et al. As those properties are size and structure dependent, it is important to characterise them as processed and in their given thickness as used for the application. Current commercial laser flash methods cannot go below certain thicknesses. Hence, we developed a customised test stand, that allows full control of all key parameters and thus makes it possible to measure the thermal diffusivity of samples in the range of hundred microns thickness. This paper provides detailed information of the development, its features, accuracy, perspectives and limits.