High spatial resolution Raman thermometry analysis of TiO2 microparticles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Accurate temperature measurement at the microscale is crucial for understanding heat transport in microelectronic devices.
• Existing techniques often lack the spatial resolution to probe thermal gradients within individual microcomponents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel high-resolution micro-Raman thermometry technique utilizing anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) microparticles.
• To demonstrate the capability of this technique in resolving temperature gradients at the sub-micrometer level.
• To validate the technique by analyzing a micro-fabricated heater.

Main Methods:

• Employing anatase TiO2 microparticles (0.5–3 μm) for micro-Raman thermometry with a spatial resolution of 280 nm.
• Probing the temperature distribution of a micro-fabricated silicon nitride (Si-N) membrane heater with a gold coil.
• Conducting 2D numerical simulations to model the temperature distribution of the micro heater.

Main Results:

• Temperature gradients were resolved within individual TiO2 microparticles.
• A temperature increase of approximately 40 °C was measured across the gold coil of the micro-fabricated heater.
• Significant temperature gradients were observed within the silicon nitride membrane between the gold heating coils.
• Experimental measurements showed excellent agreement with 2D numerical simulations.

Conclusions:

• The developed TiO2 microparticle micro-Raman thermometry offers unprecedented sub-micrometer spatial resolution for temperature measurements.
• This technique is highly effective for characterizing thermal behavior in micro-fabricated devices and exploring nanoscale heat transport phenomena.