We report on investigations of one-dimensional thermal transport in compositionally modulated metal films produced with a systematic variation in atomic lattice mismatch. In the case of Ni-Cu, Ni-Mo, Ni-Ti, and Ni-Zr, we observe the relative effects of interfacial disorder on thermal diffusion. Our observations demonstrate the thermal impedance of a single metal-metal interface and indicate that thermal diffusion in a bilayer film is strongly influenced by the interface between contacting metal pairs. This study is made possible by picosecond time-resolved thermoreflectance measurements which probe thermal transport perpendicular to the film plane. This technique can impact on our understanding of electron scattering and transport across metallic boundaries, and it provides a means of inferring electrical transport properties.

• Received 27 July 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.37.1085