Micro-hotplates for thermal characterisation of structural materials of MEMS

Abstract

Accurate knowledge of mechanical and thermal properties of structural materials used in MEMS is essential for optimum geometric and functional design. The extraction of precise physical properties is rather complicated due to the size effects, the complexity of the structures and the variations of formation processes. This work is intended to determine the thermal properties of silicon-nitride and diamond layers applied in thermal sensor structures by analyzing thermal responses of a multilayer micro-heater structure.

Low-power silicon-based thermal sensors and actuators for chemical applications

“…This corresponds well with the concept of high thermal resistance (or low thermal capacitance) desired in thermally efficient designs. Thermal resistances in the range of 27-59 K/mW were determined, which is in a good agreement with the values measured for similar type of designs found in the literature [84]. The supplied power is expressed as sum of energies needed to rise the heater temperature, i.e.…”

Thermal characterization of microheaters from the dynamic response

“…Further, it is desirable to design the microheaters with low τ c , so that fast ramp-up/ramp-down can be achieved in sensor and actuator applications. In general, τ c is extracted from the transient analysis [5,[7][8][9]. In contrast, the frequency-domain approach is employed in this paper to characterize τ c of polysilicon heaters realized using a commercial micromachining technology.…”