Roughness effect on thermal conductivity of thin films

The effects of surface roughness on thermal conductivity of a thin film with a single rough surface are investigated. The surface roughness is described by the generalized k-correlation model. It is characterized by the roughness exponent H, the root-mean-square (rms) roughness amplitude σ and the correlation length ξ. It is found that the thermal field decreases as either ξ or H increases. In contrast, the thermal conductivity increases as either ξ or H increases.