An introduction to heat transfer

Piezoresistive sensors are among the earliest micromachined silicon devices. The need for smaller, less expensive, higher performance sensors helped drive early micromachining technology, a precursor to microsystems or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The effect of stress on doped silicon and germanium has been known since the work of Smith at Bell Laboratories in 1954. Since then, researchers have extensively reported on microscale, piezoresistive strain gauges, pressure sensors, accelerometers, and cantilever force/displacement sensors, including many commercially successful devices. In this paper, we review the history of piezoresistance, its physics and related fabrication techniques. We also discuss electrical noise in piezoresistors, device examples and design considerations, and alternative materials. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of integrated piezoresistor technology with an introduction to the physics of piezoresistivity, process and material selection and design guidance useful to researchers and device engineers.

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Review: Semiconductor Piezoresistance for Microsystems

Technology 4403 Microfabrication 4403 Assembly and Interfacing 4404 Optical Integration 4405 Flow Control 4405 Standard Operations 4406 Sample Preparation 4406 Injection and Separation 4407 Fluidic Reactors 4407 Particle and Cell Sorting 4409 Cell Trapping and Culture 4409 Applications 4410 Clinical Diagnostics 4410 Nucleic Acids 4411 Proteins 4412 Cell and Tissue Studies 4413 Environmental Monitoring 4414 Literature Cited 4414

Micro total analysis systems: latest achievements.

According to Fourier theory, thermal transport is a diffusive process. However, this cannot be the case at length scales smaller than the mean free path of the energy carriers. The first experimental study of thermal transport at the nanoscale is now reported in the case of a point-like heat source, providing a quantitative description of the transition between the ballistic and diffusive regimes.

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Quasi-ballistic thermal transport from nanoscale interfaces observed using ultrafast coherent soft X-ray beams

A. M. Freudenthal London: John Wiley. 1966. Pp. xv + 492. Price £5 13s. Although written in modern idiom with a currently fashionable title, the book deals with a subject formerly called 'Strength of materials', and covers what engineers are expected to know about stresses in simple structures and mechanical properties of materials. The Introduction admirably discusses how the theoretical and experimental approaches to the behaviour of mechanical systems are to be reconciled with each other.

Introduction to the Mechanics of Solids

Silicon atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers having integrated solid-state heaters were originally developed for application to data storage, but have since been applied to metrology, thermophysical property measurements, and nanoscale manufacturing. These applications beyond data storage have strict requirements for mechanical characterization and precise temperature calibration of the cantilever. This paper describes detailed mechanical, electrical, and thermal characterization and calibration of AFM cantilevers having integrated solid-state heaters. Analysis of the cantilever response to electrical excitation in both time and frequency domains aids in resolving heat transfer mechanisms in the cantilever. Raman spectroscopy provides local temperature measurement along the cantilever with resolution near 1 mum and 5degC and also provides local surface stress measurements. Observation of the cantilever mechanical thermal noise spectrum at room temperature and while heated provides insight into cantilever mechanical behavior and compares well with finite-element analysis. The characterization and calibration methodology reported here expands the use of heated AFM cantilevers, particularly the uses for nanomanufacturing and sensing

Electrical, Thermal, and Mechanical Characterization of Silicon Microcantilever Heaters

This paper reports the thermal and electrical characteristics of a heated microcantilever in air and helium over a wide range of pressures. The cantilever heater size modulates thermal conductance between the cantilever and its gaseous surroundings; and the Knudsen number, Kn characterizes this thermal conductance. When Kn 1, thermal transport from the cantilever heater remains constant. This measurement of thermal conductance around Kn=1 could aid the design and analysis of Pirani sensors and other microscale thermal sensors and actuators.

Thermal conduction from microcantilever heaters in partial vacuum

This letter reports the localized room-temperature chemical vapor deposition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto an atomic force microscope cantilever having an integrated heater, using the cantilever self-heating to provide temperatures required for CNT growth. Precise temperature calibration of the cantilever was possible and the CNTs were synthesized at a cantilever heater temperature of 800°C in reactive gases at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the CNTs were vertically aligned and highly localized to only the heater area of the cantilever. The cantilever mechanical resonance decreased from 119.10kHzto118.23kHz upon CNT growth, and then returned to 119.09kHz following cantilever cleaning, indicating a CNT mass of 1.4×10−14kg. This technique for highly local growth and measurement of deposited CNTs creates new opportunities for interfacing nanomaterials with microstructures.

Room-temperature chemical vapor deposition and mass detection on a heated atomic force microscope cantilever

Thermal metrology of an electrically active silicon heated atomic force microscope cantilever and doped polysilicon microbeams was performed using Raman spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the Stokes Raman peak location and the Stokes to anti-Stokes intensity ratio calibrated the measurements, and it was possible to assess both temperature and thermal stress behavior with resolution near 1mum. The devices can exceed 400degC with the required power depending upon thermal boundary conditions. Comparing the Stokes shift method to the intensity ratio technique, non-negligible errors in devices with mechanically fixed boundary conditions compared to freely standing structures arise due to thermally induced stress. Experimental values were compared with a finite element model, and were within 9% of the thermal response and 5% of the electrical response across the entire range measured

Thermal Metrology of Silicon Microstructures Using Raman Spectroscopy

This paper reports the development of microelectromechanical metrology tools to characterize liquid and gaseous jets generated from microfabricated nozzles with diameters ranging from 1 to 12 μm. Microcantilever sensors with either piezoresistive elements or integrated heating elements have been fabricated and applied to measure thrusts, velocities, and heat transfer characteristics of micro/nanojets. Piezoresistive cantilever measurements showed that liquid butane microjets from a 6 μm diameter nozzle achieved velocities 40–60 m/s for driving pressures 0.6–1.4 MPa. Jet velocities estimated from cantilever measurements agreed well with shadowgraphy results within 12.5% without any correction factor. A microcantilever with integrated heating elements measured cooling capacities of liquid butane microjets on the order of 10 −5  W/K.

Tanya L. Wright

Papers

Electrical, Thermal, and Mechanical Characterization of Silicon Microcantilever Heaters

Thermal conduction from microcantilever heaters in partial vacuum

Room-temperature chemical vapor deposition and mass detection on a heated atomic force microscope cantilever

Thermal Metrology of Silicon Microstructures Using Raman Spectroscopy

Characterization of liquid and gaseous micro- and nanojets using microcantilever sensors