What is it about?
The temperature of a resistor is raised by passing an electric current due to the Joule heating effect. We describe a simple experimental technique to monitor how the temperature responds to the current, using only a standard experimental setup employed to measure the resistance without resorting to an external thermometer. The method further allows us to estimate the thermal conductivity of the sample.
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Why is it important?
It is generally not easy to precisely measure the temperature or the thermal conductivity of the electron systems embedded in a wafer placed in a cryogenic-temperature (< ~4 K) environment. An elaborately designed sample and/or measurement apparatuses are usually required. In the simple technique described here, however, we only employ an ordinary Hall-bar shaped sample and widely available ac lock-in amplifiers. The method will thus become a powerful tool for investigating the thermal properties of electron systems.
Perspectives
Thermal properties of electron systems are currently a subject of growing interest, not only because it provides guidance for better heat management but also it divulges interesting and often exotic characteristics inaccessible with more popular electrical measurements. I hope that the technique presented here will become a useful tool to explore such fascinating phenomena.
Akira Endo
University of Tokyo
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Joule heating and the thermal conductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas at cryogenic temperatures studied by modified 3ω method, Journal of Applied Physics, September 2022, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0104518.
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