Method and apparatus for performing localized thermal analysis and sub-surface imaging by scanning thermal microscopy
US6491425B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 1, 2000 |
| Grant date | Dec 10, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 1, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/957
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A platinum/Rhodium resistance thermal probe is used as an active device which acts both as a highly localized heat source and as a detector to perform localized differential calorimetry, by thermally inducing and detecting events such as glass transitions, meltings, recystallizations and thermal decomposition within volumes of material estimated at a few &mgr;m3. Furthermore, the probe is used to image variations in thermal conductivity and diffusivity, to perform depth profiling and sub-surface imaging. The maximum depth of the sample that is imaged is controlled by generating and detecting evanescent temperature waves in the sample.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.