Trident™ Thermal Conductivity Application Highlight Measuring Thin Film Samples using Flex TPS Sensor

The following Application Highlight addresses the measurement of polymeric thin films using the Flex Transient Plane Source (TPS) sensor and the Thin Films utility available on Trident. Thin Films are used for a variety of applications in protective optical and electric coatings, thin-film photovoltaic cells and thin film batteries (Figure 1). While thin film materials have existed for decades, thermal conductivity measurement methodologies have traditionally been focused on exploring bulk samples, and the capability to characterize these specialty materials has generally lagged. In recent years, the knowledge gap has shrunk, prompted by new and exciting markets in nano and microscale fabrications where thermal management is significantly important. A novel tool for such characterization is the Transient Plane Source (TPS) adaptation for testing thin films as outlined in ISO 22007-2.