Nanosecond Nanothermometry in an Electron Microscope
Thermal transport in nanostructures plays a critical role in modern technologies. As devices shrink, techniques that can measure thermal properties at nanometer and nanosecond scales are increasingly needed to capture transient, out-of-equilibrium phenomena. We present a novel pump-probe photon-electron method within a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to map temperature dynamics with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. By combining focused laser-induced heating and synchronized time-resolved monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), we track phonon, exciton, and plasmon signals in various materials, including silicon nitride, aluminum thin film, and transition metal dichalcogenides. Our results demonstrate the technique's ability to follow temperature changes at the nanometer and nanosecond scales. The experimental data closely matched theoretical heat diffusion models, confirming the method's validity. This approach opens new opportunities to investigate transient thermal phenomena in nanoscale materials, offering valuable insights for applications in thermoelectric devices and nanoelectronics.
Authors
- Luiz H. G. Tizei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3998-9912)
- Takashi Taniguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1467-3105)
- Kenji Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3701-8119)
- Steffi Y. Woo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2342-9083)
- Ching‐Hwa Ho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7195-208X)
- Yves Auad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8358-7972)
- Mathieu Kociak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8858-0449)
- Jean-Denis Blazit
- Odile Stéphan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3702-479X)
- Florian Castioni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4448-170X)
- Xiaoyan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2332-2523)
Institutions
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (TW)
- National Institute for Materials Science (JP)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Laboratoire de physique des Solides (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Letters
- Published
- 2025-01-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c05692
- Citations
- 12
- Primary Topic
- Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 11.44
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science