Many materials of practical interest violate the assumptions built into conventional thermal measurement techniques. These approaches typically assume homogeneous materials, isotropic heat flow, well-defined geometries, stable solid surfaces, and reliable thermal contact with sensors. In practice, engineers and researchers increasingly work with materials that fail to meet at least one-and often several-of those conditions.

Examples of important, practical materials include thermal interface materials such as liquids, pastes, and phase change metals; buried thin films with extremely high thermal conductivity; additively manufactured metals with complex microstructures; and coatings or materials operating at extreme temperatures. Such materials require measurement approaches that can accommodate irregular geometries, multiple length scales, high conductivity, and non-contact testing environments.

What we’ll cover:

This webinar presents practical measurement strategies for these challenging scenarios using three complementary non-contact techniques: Thermo-Optical Plane Source (TOPS), Frequency and Steady-State ThermoReflectance (FASTR), and Lock-In Thermography (TOPS-LIT).

Through real experimental examples, the session will demonstrate how these methods measure thermal conductivity, thermal boundary resistance, volumetric heat capacity, emissivity, and thermal diffusivity across a wide range of materials and length scales. Each section will focus on the underlying physics, the experimental workflow, and the interpretation of measurement data.

The webinar will provide researchers and engineers with a clear framework for selecting appropriate measurement techniques when conventional methods reach their limits.

Attendees will learn:

• Identify measurement strategies for materials that fall outside the assumptions of traditional techniques and understand the physics behind three state-of-the-art non-contact thermal measurement methods
• Learn how to measure properties beyond thermal conductivity, including thermal boundary resistance, emissivity and volumetric heat capacity
• Understand how to measure buried thin films and interfaces
• Review practical examples including TIMs, indium phase-change materials, thin film AlN, and high-temperature metals
• Learn from real instrument workflows and data analysis approaches used in research and industry

Who Should Attend:

• Industry: Research Scientist, (Advanced) Materials Scientists, Applied Physicist, Device Physicist, Semiconductor Scientist, Chief Scientist, Director of R&D, Thermal Physicist
• Academia: Professor of Materials Science, Applied Physics, Microsystems, Microelectronics, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering