Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity of Crystalline Layered SnSe2

The degree of thermal anisotropy affects critically key device-relevant properties of layered two-dimensional materials. Here, we systematically study the in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity of crystalline SnSe2 films of varying thickness (16-190 nm) and uncover a thickness-independent thermal conductivity anisotropy ratio of about similar to 8.4. Experimental data obtained using Raman thermometry and frequency domain thermoreflectance showed that the in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities monotonically decrease by a factor of 2.5 with decreasing film thickness compared to the bulk values. Moreover, we find that the temperature-dependence of the in-plane component gradually decreases as the film becomes thinner, and in the range from 300 to 473 K it drops by more than a factor of 2. Using the mean free path reconstruction method, we found that phonons with MFP ranging from similar to 1 to 53 and from 1 to 30 nm contribute to 50% of the total in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity, respectively.

Automated summary

The study systematically investigated the thermal conductivity of SnSe2 films of varying thickness, revealing a thermal conductivity anisotropy and a decrease in thermal conductivity with decreasing film thickness. Phonon contributions to the thermal conductivity were also identified using the mean free path reconstruction method.