Researchers Demonstrate Room-Temperature Phonon Focusing in Boron Arsenide at 100-Nanometer Scale
Updated
Updated · Nature.com · Jul 23
Researchers Demonstrate Room-Temperature Phonon Focusing in Boron Arsenide at 100-Nanometer Scale
1 articles · Updated · Nature.com · Jul 23
Summary
Room-temperature phonon focusing was observed in boron arsenide, with experiments showing ray-like heat patterns that had previously been seen only at cryogenic temperatures.
First-principles Boltzmann transport simulations matched the measured heat propagation, indicating the effect comes from spatial redistribution of non-equilibrium phonon waves with long propagation lengths.
Multiple samples validated distinct transport symmetries tied to crystallographic orientation, using nanoscale temperature mapping based on tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.
The result could enable directional control of heat and phonon-carrier interactions in nanoscale devices, expanding prospects for thermal management and quantum technologies without cryogenic cooling.
If heat travels in focused rays like light, could we eventually use thermal waves to transmit data inside next-generation computer chips?
Could heat lenses built from boron arsenide finally solve the overheating crisis in our most advanced quantum and electronic devices?
Boron Arsenide’s 1,300 W/m·K Thermal Conductivity: Ushering in the Era of Room-Temperature Quantum Heat Control for Next-Gen Electronics
Overview
In July 2026, UCLA researchers led by Professor Yongjie Hu achieved a major breakthrough by observing room-temperature phonon focusing in boron arsenide, a material with unusually weak phonon scattering and high thermal conductivity. Using a new nanosecond tl-TDTR imaging technique, they rapidly mapped heat flow, revealing that boron arsenide’s unique atomic structure creates a large band gap that suppresses phonon scattering and allows heat to travel in focused, ray-like paths. This discovery enables precise heat routing in electronics, boosts energy efficiency, and opens the door to advanced cooling solutions for next-generation CPUs, GPUs, and quantum devices.