Near-Field Thermometry Sensor Based on the Thermal Resonance of a Microcantilever in Aqueous Medium

A new concept using a near-field thermometry sensor is presented, employing atipless microcantilever experimentally validated for an aqueous medium within approximatelyone cantilever width from the solid interface. By correlating the thermal Brownian vibratingmotion of the microcantilever with the surrounding liquid temperature, the near-fieldmicroscale temperature distributions at the probing site are determined at separation distancesof z = 5, 10, 20, and 40 μm while the microheater temperature is maintained at 50°C, 70°C, or90°C. In addition, the near-field correction of the correlation is discussed to account for thequenched cantilever vibration frequencies, which are quenched due to the no-slip solid-wallinterference. Higher thermal sensitivity and spatial resolution is expected when the vibrationfrequencies increase with a relatively short and thick cantilever and the dimensions of themicrocantilever are reduced. Use of the microcantilever thermometry sensor can also reduce thecomplexity and mitigate the high cost associated with existing microfabricated thermocouplesor thermoresistive sensors.