From soft TIMs to CVD diamond: join our Thermal Live Fall 2026 session on thermal conductivity measurement Laser Thermal CTO Daniel Schmidt will give the Day 1 keynote at the 2026 Albany Nanotechnology Symposium, October 22 to 23 at UAlbany’s ETEC Building in Albany, New York. His talk is titled “Keeping the AI Era Cool:...
From soft TIMs to CVD diamond: join our Thermal Live Fall 2026 session on thermal conductivity measurement >REGISTER NOW< Jeff Braun shows how one non-contact platform now measures materials from gels and pastes to diamond wafers, and how to pick the right method for yours. Most thermal conductivity measurements were designed for ideal samples:...
On-Demand Webinar: Unlocking Thermal Measurements in Thin Films Designing reliable thermal measurements for thin films and bonded interfaces As power densities rise and material stacks grow more complex, thermal performance is increasingly governed by effects that conventional tools struggle to resolve. Directional heat flow, dominant interfacial resistance, and weak signal sensitivity leave real engineering questions...
When the materials change, measurement has to follow Thermal measurement is no longer a straightforward task. Many of the materials driving innovation today do not behave in ways that conventional techniques were designed to handle. Methods like laser flash or guarded hot plate rely on assumptions that break down quickly in modern applications: uniform structure,...
Charlottesville, VA — [September 25, 2025] — Laser Thermal, a leader in advanced thermal metrology solutions, today announced the launch of FASTR, a next-generation platform that redefines how researchers and engineers measure thermal properties across materials and length scales. By integrating two cutting-edge techniques—Steady-State ThermoReflectance (SSTR) and Frequency-Domain ThermoReflectance (FDTR)—FASTR enables unmatched flexibility, accuracy, and...
TOPS revolutionizes thermal conductivity testing for solids, liquids, pastes, gels, and foams. Charlottesville, VA, March 10, 2025 Today, Laser Thermal, a leader in optical thermal measurements, is excited to announce the launch of its groundbreaking new product, TOPS. This innovative instrument transforms how engineers and scientists measure thermal conductivity. The TOPS (Thermo-Optical Plane Source) system...
Laser Thermal is pleased to announce that we have recently secured a contract with Louisiana Tech University to enhance its semiconductor research capabilities. This partnership will bring cutting-edge technology to the University’s Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) with the installation of the SSTR-F tool, a state-of-the-art steady-state thermoreflectance in fiber tool. This new equipment will be...
In exciting news for the field of thermal measurement, Laser Thermal has been awarded a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This award supports DARPA’s project, “Advancing Thermo-Optical Metrology for Integrated Circuits” (ATOMIC), and promises to push the boundaries of nano-scale thermal property...
In a significant boost for semiconductor research and development, Laser Thermal has announced a new collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Charlottesville-based company has been awarded a contract to supply NIST with its groundbreaking thermal conductivity testing instrument, the Steady State Thermoreflectance in Fiber (SSTR-F). This partnership is set to...
Laser Thermal’s SSTR-F elevates the University of Maryland’s NEIT lab and beyond Laser Thermal has made significant strides in the thermal measurement field by using optical technologies to simplify and shorten the measurement process. This innovation is crucial for industries where thermal management is a significant challenge. A company’s ability to perform thermal measurements at...
| Literature Value | TPS Measurement | SSTR-F Measurement | |
| Pyroceram 9606 | 4.07 +/- .26 | 3.95 | 3.95 +/- 0.2 |
| HPFS 7980 | 1.38 | 1.39 | 1.39 +/- 0.09 |
20 SSTR-F measurements at same spot
20 SSTR-F measurements at random spots
SSTR-F data on 4 different 200 nm dielectric films on silicon with thermal conductivity ranging from ~0.35 W/m/K up to 1.8 W/m/K. SSTR-F allows for easy, rapid and automated identification of different temperature rises based on the thermal conductivity of the different films.
SSTR measurements on ALD grown ultrathin film amorphous gate dielectrics (compared to TDTR) (source).
SSTR measurements of AlN crystalline thin films.2 SSTR data (temperature rise vs. power) on right for AlN film and silicon wafer control.