The proposed planning grant will be used to address the inadequacies of thermal modeling of MEMS devices at elevated temperatures. Thermal transport properties at elevated tempeatures and their dependence on mmicrostructural evolution are unknown for most materials used in MEMS manufacturing. During this one-year planning period, pilot studies will be performed to address the challenges in thermal conduction, while research collaborations will be formed to address microscale radiation transport. The PI hopes to measure the thermal conductivity of thin films between 100 and 5000 nm for temperatures up to 1000 C. Additional materials characterization experiments will be conducted on thin films of polycrystalline Si, diamond, and SiC. The experimental study will form the basis for a parallel modeling effort. This study should lead to the submission of several research proposals to federal funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation, and could eventually help to address the design and reliabil9ity of thermal MEMS devices, especially at elevated temperatures.
The award has been funded by the Thermal Transport and Thermal Processing Program of the Chemical and Transport Systems Division.
