Investigation on Temperature Distribution in the Radial Direction of Tubular Nanowire Composites

The race for reducing the size of electronic devices and integrated micro/nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) has provided the main driving force behind the scientific research and technological advancement in the field of nanotechnology. It is now widely accepted that the thermal management in nanosize devices becomes increasingly important as the size of the device reduces. Among various physical properties, the thermal conduction of nanometer materials plays a fundamentally critical role that controls the performance and stability of nano/micro devices. [1]In this study, steady state heat transfer in silicon-germanium composites with tubular silicon nanowire inclusions in a germanium matrix is analyzed and the influence of radial thicknesses on temperature distribution is examined. For heat transfer calculation, the corresponding theory is based on the method elaborated by Chen [2]. In this theory, phonons will be considered as the major heat carriers. This happens when the phonon MFP (mean free path) is comparable with the thickness of the nanotube