Thermal metrology of silicon microstructures using Raman spectroscopy

Thermal metrology of an electrically active silicon heated atomic force microscope cantilever and doped polysilicon microbeams was performed using Raman spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the Stokes Raman peak location and the Stokes to anti-Stokes intensity ratio calibrated the measurements, and it was possible to assess both temperature and thermal stress behavior with resolution near 1 μm. The devices can exceed 400 °C with the required power depending upon thermal boundary conditions. Comparing the Stokes shift method to the intensity ratio technique, non-negligible errors in devices with mechanically fixed boundary conditions compared to freely standing structures arise due to thermally induced stress. Experimental values were compared with a finite element model, and were within 9% of the thermal response and 5% of the electrical response across the entire range measured.