SUMMARY

Advances in microelectronics and nanotechnology have generated tremendous interest in the non-Fourier regimes of heat conduction, where the conventional theories based on local equilibrium no longer apply. The non-Fourier regimes include small length scales, where the medium can no longer be treated using bulk properties due to ballistic transport, and short time scales, on the order of the relaxation time of heat carriers, such as in short pulse laser heating. One of the objectives of this thesis is to clarify some misunderstandings in hyperbolic heat equation (HHE), commonly thought as a remedy of Fourier’s law at small time scales. The HHE is analyzed from the stand point of statistical mechanics with an emphasis on the consequences of assumptions applied to the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) when deriving the HHE. In addition, some misperceptions of the HHE, caused by a few experiments and confusion with other physical phenomena, are clarified. It is concluded that HHE should not be interpreted as a more general equation governing heat transport because of several fundamental limitations. The other objective of this thesis is to introduce radiation entropy to the equation of phonon radiative transport (EPRT) for understanding the heat transfer mechanism on a fundamental level which can be applied to both diffusion and ballistic heat conduction in dielectric solids. The entropy generation due to phonon transport is examined along with the definition of a phonon brightness temperature, which is direction and frequency dependent. A better understanding of non-Fourier heat conduction will help researchers and engineers to choose appropriate theories or models in analyzing thermal transport in nanodevices.