Electron Tunneling Enhances Thermal Conductance through Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Junctions

Abstract

The presence of interfaces in semiconductor devices substantially hinders thermal transport, contributing disproportionately to the overall thermal resistance. However, approaches to enhance interfacial thermal transport remain scarce without changing the interface structure, as the intrinsic electron and phonon properties of constituent materials set an upper limit. Here, we find a new thermal transport pathway, electronic heat tunneling, to enhance interfacial thermal conductance through metal-insulator-semiconductor junctions. By applying photoexcitation or bias voltage, we observe remarkable thermal conductance increases in operando, opening a new channel for efficient interfacial heat dissipation. The electron quantum tunneling pathway is parallel to conventional phonon-mediated interfacial thermal transport, and violates the Wiedemann-Franz law since this pathway deviates from the paradigm of diffusive transport. Moreover, we develop a tunneling mismatch model to describe the enhanced thermal conductance, originating from tunneling heat flux. Our Letter demonstrates a previously unexplored heat transport mechanism to enhance thermal conductance, bypassing the need for interface engineering. These findings emphasize the essential need to understand semiconductor thermal properties under realistic operating conditions.