Thermal characterization of thin film heater for lab-on-chip application

This paper presents the design, fabrication and characterization of a thin film heater functional for thermal treatments in lab-on-chip system. The spatial temperature distribution determined by different heater geometries has been studied through electro-thermal simulations by using COMSOL Multiphysics. The heater showing the more uniform temperature distribution has been subsequently fabricated and characterized. A very good agreement between modeled and measured data has been attained. Results show a spatial temperature distribution of about ±1°C over an area comparable to the heater area and a directly USB powered heater, demonstrating the suitability of the proposed device for lab-on-chip thermal applications.