Spatially Resolved Temperature Measurements of Electrically Heated Carbon Nanotubes

Spatially resolved Raman spectra of individual pristine suspended carbon nanotubes are observed under electrical heating. The Raman G(+) and G(-) bands show unequal temperature profiles. The preferential heating is more pronounced in short nanotubes (2 mu m) than in long nanotubes (5 mu m). These results are understood in terms of the decay and thermalization of nonequilibrium phonons, revealing the mechanism of thermal transport in these devices. The measurements also enable a direct estimate of thermal contact resistances and the spatial variation of thermal conductivity.