Fast nanoscale heat-flux modulation with phase-change materials

Pieter van Zwol (1) , Karl Joulain (2) , Philippe Ben-Abdallah (3) , Jean-Jacques Greffet (3) , Joël Chevrier (1)

1 NEEL - NOF - Nano-Optique et Forces
2 PPrime [Poitiers] - Institut Pprime [UPR 3346]
3 Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique / Naphel

We introduce a new concept for electrically controlled heat flux modulation. A flux contrast larger than 10 dB is expected with switching time on the order of tens of nanoseconds. Heat flux modulation is based on the interplay between radiative heat transfer at the nanoscale and phase change materials. Such large contrasts are not obtainable in solids, or in far field. As such this opens up new horizons for temperature modulation and actuation at the nanoscale.

Domains: Other [cond-mat.other]; Optics [physics.optics]; Optics / Photonic; Micro and nanotechnologies/Microelectronics

Pieter van Zwol, Karl Joulain, Philippe Ben-Abdallah, Jean-Jacques Greffet, Joël Chevrier. Fast nanoscale heat-flux modulation with phase-change materials. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1998-2015), 2011, 83, pp.201404. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevB.83.201404⟩. ⟨hal-00649176⟩