ABSTRACT
Rapid advancements in electronics technology have attracted increasing research interest in microscale phenomena. This work presents a summary of recent developments in numerical modeling of microscale heat transfer processes, with an emphasis on interactions between short-pulsed lasers and materials. The chapter will begin with a brief account of macroscopic (i.e. continuum) heat conduction models. For very short time and length scales, continuum approaches may break down, requiring description of the fundamental microscopic transfer. Simplified formulations stemming from the Boltzmann transport equation provide insight into the electron-phonon system coupling. Molecular dynamics and Direct Monte Carlo simulations are being used to analyze phase-change and rapid ablation plume expansion phenomena.
