Monolithically fabricated sample for the calibration of the tip-sample thermal conductance in scanning thermal microscopy

Abstract

A novel device consisting of a set of membranes with nine different geometries and metallizations monolithically fabricated on a single die is proposed as a possible calibration sample for characterizing thermal conductance between the tip and the sample with “active” resistive scanning thermal microscope (SThM) probes. Such probes, in which the tip is significantly heated by the current used to measure their temperature-dependent resistance, are often used in investigations of the thermal conductivity of samples. Thermally grown silicon dioxide was chosen as a membrane material for all devices due to its low thermal and electrical conductivity, and gold structures were used to vary the thermal conduction to mimic a range of materials. The result showed a range of samples with thermal conductance of 15–85 times the thermal conductance quantum at room temperature, which would be typical for SThM measurements of thermal conductance resulting from contact of the tip with bulk materials having thermal conductivities ranging from those of poly methyl methacrylate to bulk silicon.