Thermal imaging of electronic materials and devices using the Atomic Force Microscope

Arunava Majumdar; J. P. Carrejo; J. Lai; M. Chandrachood

doi:10.1117/12.146380

4 June 1993 Thermal imaging of electronic materials and devices using the Atomic Force Microscope

Arunava Majumdar, J. P. Carrejo, J. Lai, M. Chandrachood

Proceedings Volume 1855, Scanning Probe Microscopies II; (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.146380
Event: OE/LASE'93: Optics, Electro-Optics, and Laser Applications in Scienceand Engineering, 1993, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

We have developed a new and simple technique of thermal imaging with sub-micron spatial resolution using the atomic force microscope (AFM). By using a thermocouple as an AFM tip, we can simultaneously observe the topography and the temperature field of material surfaces. The method is particularly unique for application of biased electronic devices or interconnects where there could be different materials and potential variations on a scan surface. Application to a n-GaAs MESFET has revealed hot spots under the drain-side of the gate. Thermal images of a biased polycrystalline Al-Cu via structure show the grain boundaries to be hotter than within the grain suggesting higher electron scattering rates. We have also observed the effects of current crowding in generating hot spots in the via structure. An error analysis showed that the difference between the measured temperature and the estimated actual device temperature is about 4 percent.

Citation Download Citation

Arunava Majumdar, J. P. Carrejo, J. Lai, and M. Chandrachood "Thermal imaging of electronic materials and devices using the Atomic Force Microscope", Proc. SPIE 1855, Scanning Probe Microscopies II, (4 June 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.146380

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