Thermal conductivity of SiO 2 films by scanning thermal microscopy

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In microelectronics the thermal conductivity of dielectric films such as SiO 2 is of concern because, as dimensions shrink, heat removal from devices becomes a critical problem. A scanning thermal microscope was used to image thermal properties of silicon dioxide films deposited on silicon by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Thermal conductivity as a function of the layer thickness, ranging 50–1000 nm was measured. To interpret the experimental thermal data, a model has been developed on the basis of previously published heat-transfer concepts. An intrinsic thermal conductivity of 1.31 ± 0.11 W/K/m was calculated independent of the thickness and a thermal resistance of (6.8 ± 0.35) × 10 −7 m 2 K/W was calculated at the interfaces.