Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of High-Stiffness Suspended Microcalorimeters With Nanowatt Power Resolution

• Published in: Journal of microelectromechanical systems Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 268 - 275
• Main Authors: Shaskey, Cedric, Jarzembski, Amun, Birdwell, Milo, Park, Keunhan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.06.2025; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Calorimeters; Contact force; Heat transfer; Heating systems; high stiffness; Nanoscale devices; nanowatt resolution; Resistance; Resistance heating; Sensors; Silicon nitride; Stiffness; Suspended microcalorimeter; Thermal force; Thermal resistance; Thermometers; U-shaped structure
• ISSN: 1057-7157; 1941-0158
• DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2025.3543201

This work presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of innovative suspended microcalorimeters tailored for nanoscale heat transfer studies. These devices address the critical trade-off between thermal resistance and stiffness-key factors for achieving nanowatt power resolution while withstanding near-contact forces. By employing a novel three-dimensional U-beam structure, the microcalorimeter achieves a thermal resistance of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">(1.555 \pm 0.002)\times 10^{6} </tex-math></inline-formula> K/W and a stiffness of 52.5 N/m. This design enables a power resolution of 8.4 nW in DC mode, making it highly suitable for exploring nanoscale heat transfer phenomena across sub-nanometer gaps and atomic junctions. The performance of these devices opens new experimental possibilities in the field of heat transfer at the nanoscale. [2024-0194]