In-situ elevated temperature imaging of thin films with a microfabricated hot stage for scanning probe microscopes

A microfabricated hot stage for a scanning probe microscope SPM.has been developed to enable in-situ investigations of thin film specimens at elevated temperatures. With this hot stage, a SPM can now examine and test materials at high magnifications under conditions that closely resemble their true service temperature. The hot stage is capable of operating from ambient room temperature up to 8008C without damage to the microscope. With this device, topographical images of platinum supported titanium films, which are important for catalytic reaction studies, thin film gas sensor technology, and microelectronic applications, have been acquired at temperatures between 25–4008C. The average roughness of these films remained constant at 12.4"1.9 nm. The surface of the hot stage can be equipped with electrodes enabling four point probe measurements of conducting specimens as the temperature is increased and the surface is imaged. In-situ imaging of the titanium underlayer diffusing through the platinum film has been observed at 3758C. Titanium migration to the surface near this temperature is also shown on 35 A°Ptr65 A°Ti films with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS.. This stage can be retrofitted to any existing SPM to expand its current capabilities to include high temperature analysis of a wide diversity of materials, from biological samples, to polymers, and metals. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.