Measuring thermal properties becomes significantly more difficult as materials and devices shrink. Conventional techniques like laser flash or guarded hot plate work well for bulk samples, but they rely on assumptions that break down at smaller scales. Thin films, interfaces, and multilayer structures introduce thermal effects that are not captured by bulk measurements. In many...
Introduction As semiconductors continue to improve, thermal management becomes increasingly critical. Current semiconductor devices are certainly stronger, smaller, and higher in power densities than previously created devices. However, semiconductor performance deteriorates in the presence of excessive heat, with overall inefficiencies followed by complete failures or device breakdown. The data to predict these failures comes from...
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...
Laser Thermal Partners with Angstrom Scientific, Inc. for Sales Representation of Thermal Conductivity Instruments and Contract Testing Services With a Proven Track Record Since 2004, Angstrom Scientific Brings Robust Expertise in Characterization Solutions to Nanotechnology Researchers CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, January 16, 2024 – Laser Thermal, a leading provider of advanced thermal property measurement tools, is pleased...
Laser Thermal technology has taken center stage in a recent edition of UVAToday, and for a compelling reason – it’s transforming the landscape of thermal measurements. In a world where precision and efficiency are paramount to innovation, Laser Thermal promises to revolutionize the way we understand, analyze, and develop products using temperature dynamics. This groundbreaking...
Unveiling Laser Thermal’s Innovative Solutions Thermal metrology plays a critical role in a wide variety of industries, from electronics to manufacturing, ensuring the reliability and efficiency of products. However, traditional thermal measurement practices can be time-consuming, complex, and often require specialized knowledge. That’s why the researchers at Laser Thermal developed SSTR-F: the world’s first steady...
In this blog, we provide an overview of thermal boundary resistance, why understanding it is critical when engineering semiconductor devices, some critical challenges for interfacial thermal metrology, and how thermal testing services can help. What is thermal boundary resistance? Thermal boundary resistance is simply a measure of resistance to heat flow at the interface between...
A summary of some of the biggest trends for the semiconductor industry heading into 2023.
A summary of some of the biggest trends for the semiconductor industry heading into 2023.
Traditional thermal metrology techniques cannot be relied upon to generate reliable thermal resistance data for thin film materials.
| 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.