Fall 2005 Seminar Series
Nano/Microscale Thermal Radiation
Recent Advances and Future Trends
Zhuomin Zhang
Associate Professor
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332
The advancement of microfabrication has enabled the creation of periodic microstructures in
one-, two-, and three-dimensions for the control of light waves. Spectral and directional control of
thermal radiation is a challenging yet important task for a number of applications, such as
thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion, solar energy utilization, space thermal management,
and high-efficiency incandescent lamps. Furthermore, near-field radiation may dominate the energy
transfer process between the tip of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) and the surface over which it
scans, due to photon tunneling through evanescent modes and surface plasmon/phonon polaritons.
After an overview of the recent studies on nano/microscale thermal radiation, I will present two
examples from our current research. The first is on thermal radiation between silicon surfaces,
considering the doping effect and temperature dependence. It was found that a higher doping level
can significantly enhance radiation heat transfer at the nanometer distance. The second example is
on the coherent thermal emission from a modified one-dimensional photonic crystal structure. These
findings may have applications ranging from nanolithography to nanoscale energy conversion. I will
conclude by raising some significant questions.
Bio: Zhuomin Zhang has been an Associate Professor at Georgia Tech since August 2002. He received his B.S. and
M.S. degrees, both in engineering thermophysics, from the University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei,
Anhui). In 1992, he received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. Afterwards, he worked at the
National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Florida. Dr. Zhang’s research interests are in the
areas of micro/nanoscale heat transfer, with applications to optoelectronic devices and semiconductor manufacturing. He
has authored/co-authored over 60 journal papers and 4 book chapters, received 2 patents, and given over 40 invited and
80 contributed presentations. Dr. Zhang is a Fellow of ASME. He served as the chair of the ASME K18 Committee on
Low Temperature Heat Transfer (2000-03) and was the Technical Program Chair for the 37th AIAA Thermophysics
Conference in June 2004. Dr. Zhang is a recipient of the Pi Tau Sigma Outstanding Teacher for 1996-97, the Sigma Xi
Junior Faculty Research Award for 1999, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
for 1999, and the Heat Transfer Division Best Paper Award for 2000. (see www.me.gatech.edu/~zzhang)
This NECP Seminar is jointly sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering,
the NECP and the CeNSE.
Refreshments will be served starting at 3 pm.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
323 CRMS Building
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm