This paper introduces scanning Joule expansion microscopy (SJEM), which is a new thermal imaging technique with lateral resolution in the range of 10–50 nm. Based on the atomic force microscope (AFM), SJEM measures the thermal expansion of Joule-heated elements with a vertical resolution of 1 pm, and provides an expansion map of the scanned sample. Sunmicron metal interconnect lines as well as 50-nm-sized single grains of an indium tin oxide resistor were images using SJEM. Since the local expansion signal is a convolution of local material properties, sample height, and as temperature rise, extraction of the thermal image requires deconvolution. This was experimentally achieved by coating the sample with a uniformly thick polymer film, resulting in direct measurement of the sample temperature distribution. A detailed thermal analysis of the metal wire and the substrate showed that the predicted temperature distribution was in good agreement with the measurements of the polymer-coated sample. However, the frequency response of the expansion signal agreed with theoretical predictions only below 30 KHZ, suggesting that contilever dynamics may play a significant role at higher frequencies. The major advantage of SJEM over previously developed submicron thermal imaging techniques is that it eliminates the need to nanofabricate specialized probes and requires only a standard AFM and simple electronics.
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Research Papers
Nanoscale Temperature Distributions Measured by Scanning Joule Expansion Microscopy
A. Majumdar,
A. Majumdar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
e-mail: majumdar@me.berkeley.edu
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J. Varesi
J. Varesi
Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
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A. Majumdar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
e-mail: majumdar@me.berkeley.edu
J. Varesi
Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
J. Heat Transfer. May 1998, 120(2): 297-305 (9 pages)
Published Online: May 1, 1998
Article history
Received:
August 18, 1997
Revised:
February 2, 1998
Online:
December 5, 2007
Citation
Majumdar, A., and Varesi, J. (May 1, 1998). "Nanoscale Temperature Distributions Measured by Scanning Joule Expansion Microscopy." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. May 1998; 120(2): 297–305. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2824245
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