High-sensitivity chip calorimeter platform for sub-nano watt thermal measurement

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. A. Physical. 2016-04, Vol.241, p.60-65
• Main Authors: Koh, Joonyoung, Lee, Wonhee, Shin, Jung H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actuators; Feasibility; Membrane structures; Metabolic rate; Microfluidic chip calorimeter; Parylene; Platforms; Thermal measurements; Thermistors; Thin films; Vanadium pentoxide; Vanadium pentoxide thin film thermistor
• ISSN: 0924-4247; 1873-3069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2016.02.001

•High-sensitivity, on-chip calorimeter platform is developed.•Temperature sensitive vanadium pentoxide thermistor is used as a thermal sensor.•Vacuum insulated suspended membrane platform has a low thermal conductance of 12μW/K.•Estimated noise equivalent power limit is as low as 570pW in a 1Hz bandwidth.•Feasibility of integrating the platform with a microfluidic system is investigated and a further lowering of detection limit to 150pW is examined by numerical simulations. High sensitivity, on-chip calorimeter platform using V2O5 thin film thermistor was developed. Integration of a V2O5 thermistor with a high temperature sensitivity of −2.2%/K with a vacuum insulated, suspended SiN membrane structure enabled a low thermal conductance of 12μW/K and a direct detection of 10nW of heat with an estimated detection limit of 570pW. We also investigated the feasibility of integrating the platform with a microfluidic system, and, suggest that, based on numerical simulations, a further 5-fold lowering of detection limit may be possible.