Study on Ultraminiature Thermal Analysis Device with Micro-Air-Bridge Heater and a New Method for its Heating-rate Curve

Abstract

Miniature thermal analysis device with a micro-air-bridge heater which has been proposed by authors is more miniaturized to analyse more small amount of the sample, and an automatic heating-rate measurement system having no need of the reference sample is developed and evaluated by using the water sample. This ultraminiature thermal analysis device consists of monolithically integrated components of an air-bridge microheater (about 500μm × 100μm × 3μm), an Au-Ni thin film thermocouple and a sample-holder (100μm × 100μm × 3μm). Melting and boiling points of water sample are clearly observed in the heating curve and the heating-rate curve.