Precise nanoscale temperature mapping in operational microelectronic devices by use of a phase change material

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Microelectronics Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Microelectronics advancements lead to nanoscale features and hotspots, impacting device reliability.
• Existing thermometry techniques have limitations like calibration needs, temperature perturbation, low throughput, and ultra-high vacuum requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile, high-resolution thermometry technique for mapping nanoscale thermal contours.
• To address the limitations of current methods for analyzing heat dissipation in microelectronic devices.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a thin film contact thermometer based on a phase change material (PCM) with a crystalline transition at a specific temperature.
• Leveraged the PCM's significant changes in electrical conductivity and optical reflectivity during phase transition for temperature sensing.
• Mapped thermal contours on a nanowire and an embedded micro-heater on the same chip.

Main Results:

• Successfully mapped thermal contours across scales differing by three orders of magnitude.
• Achieved a spatial resolution as high as 20 nanometers due to the continuous nature of the thin film.
• Demonstrated precise temperature mapping of nanoscale hotspots.

Conclusions:

• The proposed PCM thin film thermometer offers a facile and high-resolution method for thermal analysis.
• This technique enables accurate mapping of temperature contours, crucial for understanding microelectronic device reliability.
• The method overcomes limitations of existing techniques, offering a promising solution for nanoscale thermal characterization.