Current-induced forces and hot-spots in biased nano-junctions

TL;DR

This paper theoretically examines how current-induced forces influence heat distribution and hot-spot formation in nano-junctions, revealing asymmetric heating effects driven by electron-phonon interactions and CIF.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework showing CIF can control heat dissipation and hot-spot formation in biased nano-conductors, supported by first-principles calculations.

Findings

CIF can asymmetrically concentrate heat in symmetric conductors.

CIF influence extends to phonon heat flux into electrodes.

First-principles calculations confirm the significance of CIF effects.

Abstract

We investigate theoretically the interplay of current-induced forces (CIF), Joule heating, and heat transport inside a current-carrying nano-conductor. We find that the CIF, due to the electron-phonon coherence, can control the spatial heat dissipation in the conductor. This yields a significant asymmetric concentration of excess heating (hot-spot) even for a symmetric conductor. When coupled to the electrode phonons, CIF drive different phonon heat flux into the two electrodes. First-principles calculations on realistic biased nano-junctions illustrate the importance of the effect.