Thermal measurement of RF and microwave devices using a novel thermal probe

Conventional infrared (IR) thermal microscopy is a widely used technique for measuring the thermal performance of electronic devices. The technique can be used to rapidly generate wide area, 2D thermal maps, for example, on microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) structures. The captured IR images will provide a good approximate temperature distribution, however, they may suffer from temperature errors, which occur when low emissivity metals and optically transparent semiconductor materials are studied. Although a high emissivity coating can be applied to improve the measurement accuracy, the coating can cause heat spreading, which distorts the measured temperature profile. Additionally, the coating may also damage delicate devices and visually obscure areas for inspection.