Phonon transport in aluminum and silicon film pair: Laser short-pulse irradiation at aluminum film surface

Phonon transport in paired aluminum and silicon thin films is considered under laser short-pulse irradiation at the aluminum film surface. The Boltzmann equation is incorporated to formulate energy transport in the films. To include a volumetric source resembling laser irradiation in the aluminum film, the Boltzmann equation is modified. Thermal boundary resistance is located at the interface of the film pair. An equivalent equilibrium temperature is introduced to assess the thermal resistance of the film during the laser heating process. The phonon temperature obtained from solution of the Boltzmann equation is compared with the findings of the two-temperature model. It is found that phonon temperature obtained from the solution of the Boltzmann equation is lower than that corresponding to the two-temperature model, which is particularly true in the surface region of the aluminum film. Phonon temperature increases gradually while, early on, the electron temperature rises and decays sharply in the surface region of the aluminum film.