Nanoscale thermal metrology using SEM, TEM, and confocal microscopy

Nanoscale thermal transport plays a fundamental role in several current research directions in thermoelectric materials, from nanocrystalline composites to transport in thin films and nanowires. However, experimental measurements of the thermal properties of such materials at the nanoscale is challenging. In this talk I will present several collaborative efforts to develop new non-contact methods for heating and thermometry at the nanometer scale, techniques which could eventually be applied to characterize thermoelectric materials. Examples to be discussed include methods based on SEM (e-beam as a point heater; secondary electron yield as a thermometer), TEM (thermometry using the Debye-Waller effect), and confocal microscopy (luminescence thermometry of individual nanoparticles).