NEAR-FIELD THERMAL RADIATION FROM A HEATED ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE CANTILEVER TIP

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The PI's propose to study radiative transport at the nanoscale, with particular focus on heat transfer processes between a scanning probe microscope (SPM) cantilever tip and the surface over which it scans. Special considerations include photon tunneling through evanescent modes and surfaces waves, such as plasmon or phonon polaritons. To overcome experimental obstacles associated with controlling the temperature of a highly localized heating source in controlled, close proximity to a temperature sensor, the PI's will utilize recent advances in atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers with integrated heaters and tips with nanometer-scale sharpness. Success in this project will offer the first measurement of radiative energy exchange between two objects separated by a vacuum gap from 10 nm down to 1 nm. Resolving complex physical phenomena in near-field thermal transport could lead to development of nanometer-scaled devices, materials, and process, which critically depend upon thermal transport. This research is being supported by the Thermal Transport and Thermal Processing Program of the Chemical and Transport Systems Division.