We propose an approach for the characterization of scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) probe response using a sample with silicon dioxide steps. The chessboard-like sample provides a series of nine surfaces made of the same material, with identical roughness, but consisting of different thicknesses of silica layers standing on a single silicon wafer. The nine regions have different effective thermal conductivities, allowing the calibration of SThM probes within a given set of surface conditions. A key benefit is the possibility of comparing the spatial resolution and the sensitivity to vertical inhomogeneities of the sample for different probes. A model is provided to determine the thermal contact area and contact thermal resistance from the experimental data. The results underline that ballistic heat conduction can be significant in crystalline substrates below the top thin films, especially for film thicknesses lower than 200 nm and effective thermal contact radius lower than 200 nm. They also highlight the sensitivity of SThM to ultrathin films, as well as the substrate below micrometric films under in-air conditions but not when in vacuum. This work advances quantitative nanometer-scale thermal metrology, where usual photothermal methods are more difficult to implement.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
21 December 2020
Research Article|
December 15 2020
Scanning thermal microscopy on samples of varying effective thermal conductivities and identical flat surfaces
Special Collection:
Photothermics
E. Guen;
E. Guen
1
CETHIL UMR5008, Univ Lyon, CNRS, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
Search for other works by this author on:
P.-O. Chapuis
;
P.-O. Chapuis
1
CETHIL UMR5008, Univ Lyon, CNRS, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
Search for other works by this author on:
R. Rajkumar;
R. Rajkumar
2
Kelvin Nanotechnology
, Glasgow, Scotland G12 8LS, United Kingdom
Search for other works by this author on:
P. S. Dobson;
P. S. Dobson
3
School of Engineering, University of Glasgow
, Glasgow, Scotland G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
Search for other works by this author on:
G. Mills;
G. Mills
2
Kelvin Nanotechnology
, Glasgow, Scotland G12 8LS, United Kingdom
Search for other works by this author on:
J. M. R. Weaver
;
J. M. R. Weaver
3
School of Engineering, University of Glasgow
, Glasgow, Scotland G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
Search for other works by this author on:
S. Gomés
S. Gomés
a)
1
CETHIL UMR5008, Univ Lyon, CNRS, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: severine.gomes@insa-lyon.fr
Search for other works by this author on:
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: severine.gomes@insa-lyon.fr
Note: This paper is part of the Special Topic on Photothermics.
J. Appl. Phys. 128, 235301 (2020)
Article history
Received:
June 30 2020
Accepted:
November 21 2020
Citation
E. Guen, P.-O. Chapuis, R. Rajkumar, P. S. Dobson, G. Mills, J. M. R. Weaver, S. Gomés; Scanning thermal microscopy on samples of varying effective thermal conductivities and identical flat surfaces. J. Appl. Phys. 21 December 2020; 128 (23): 235301. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0020276
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00