A Novel Characterization Method for Thermal Thin-Film Properties Applied toPECVD Silicon Nitride

Design, simulation, and optimization of micromachined sensor devices often require accurate knowledge of thermal thin-film properties, e. g., for PECVD-Si₃N₄. These thermal parameters can differ considerably from those stated for bulk material and they are typically process-dependent. We developed a novel method to determine the thermal conductivity as well as the heat capacity of such thin-films based on a micromachined cantilever device. In this contribution, we describe a newly devised test device together with the associated extraction procedure and report on an experimental verification for a dielectric PECVD silicon nitride thin-film.