12.11.2020 by Milena Riedl

PicoTherm Corporation joins NETZSCH Group

We are pleased to announce that, effective October 30, 2020, PicoTherm Corporation joined the NETZSCH Group as a wholly owned subsidiary of NETZSCH Japan, K.K.

PicoTherm is one of the leading suppliers for nanoscale thermophysical properties testing instruments. They allow for measurement of the Thermal DiffusivityThermal diffusivity (a with the unit mm2/s) is a material-specific property for characterizing unsteady heat conduction. This value describes how quickly a material reacts to a change in temperature.thermal diffusivity and Thermal ConductivityThermal conductivity (λ with the unit W/(m•K)) describes the transport of energy – in the form of heat – through a body of mass as the result of a temperature gradient (see fig. 1). According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat always flows in the direction of the lower temperature.thermal conductivity of thin layers in the range of micrometers and nanometers. Such technology is crucial, for example, for the optimization of hard metal coatings on cutting tools or layer structures in modern microelectronics. Testing and optimization of thin layers is getting more and more important for divers industrial applications. Especially in the development of 5G devices, overseas manufacturers are increasingly turning to PicoTherm’s PicoTR and NanoTR thermal analysis systems for thin films, so that they can design for optimal heat flow and dissipation. Pooling PicoTherm’s capabilities with those of NETZSCH Japan will boost manufacturing and support capacities, and further expand business.

“This is a big step for NETZSCH Japan K.K. as we broaden our portfolio in Japan especially in the electronics sector, where Japan plays a dominating role in the world,” said Mr. Yoshio Shinoda, President of NETZSCH Japan K.K.

“Nanotechnology is a growing field for many different industrial applications. PicoTherm helps us here supply the broadest instrument line for thermal characterization of thin layers,” said Dr. Thomas Denner, Business Unit Manager of NETZSCH Analyzing & Testing.

Dr. Jürgen Blumm, Managing Director of NETZSCH-Gerätebau GmbH, Germany adds: “In the areas of communication, environment, energy, aerospace, etc., manufacturers are packing more and more into smaller and smaller spaces, and the heat released is becoming an ever greater problem. Knowledge of the thermophysical properties of the materials play a major role in enabling an optimal heat flow. Thermophysical properties in thin layers can deviate from the values of bulk materials and using PicoTherm devices, we can measure them.”

PicoTherm Corporation was launched in 2008 with support from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and located in Tsukuba, Japan, PicoTherm Corporation is an R&D venture aimed at disseminating thermal measurement technologies for thin films.

NETZSCH Japan, K.K., is the Japan branch of NETZSCH Group’s Analyzing & Testing business unit (NETZSCH A&T), the world’s top provider of thermal analysis, rheology and measurement instruments with 54 sales and service locations in 35 countries, and manufacturing locations in Selb, Germany, and Yokohama, Japan.