Modified data analysis for thermal conductivity measurements of polycrystalline silicon microbridges using a steady state Joule heating technique.

Accurate knowledge of thermophysical properties is needed to predict and optimize the thermal performance of microsystems. Thermal conductivity is experimentally determined by measuring quantities such as voltage or temperature and then inferring a thermal conductivity from a thermal model. Thermal models used for data analysis contain inherent assumptions, and the resultant thermal conductivity value is sensitive to how well the actual experimental conditions match the model assumptions.

Reduction in the thermal conductivity of single crystalline silicon by phononic crystal patterning.

Phononic crystals (PnCs) are the acoustic wave equivalent of photonic crystals, where a periodic array of scattering inclusions located in a homogeneous host material causes certain frequencies to be completely reflected by the structure. In conjunction with creating a phononic band gap, anomalous dispersion accompanied by a large reduction in phonon group velocities can lead to a massive reduction in silicon thermal conductivity. We measured the cross plane thermal conductivity of a series of single crystalline silicon PnCs using time domain thermoreflectance.

Invited Article: Simultaneous mapping of temperature and stress in microdevices using micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Analysis of the Raman Stokes peak position and its shift has been frequently used to estimate either temperature or stress in microelectronics and microelectromechanical system devices. However, if both fields are evolving simultaneously, the Stokes shift represents a convolution of these effects, making it difficult to measure either quantity accurately. By using the relative independence of the Stokes linewidth to applied stress, it is possible to deconvolve the signal into an estimation of both temperature and stress.