Generation of high-resolution surface temperature distributions

We have performed numerical calculations to study the generation of arbitrary temperature profiles with high spatial resolution on the surface of a solid. The characteristics of steady-state distributions and time-dependent heating and cooling cycles are examined, as well as their dependence on material properties and device geometry. Ideally, low-power consumption and fast response times are desirable. The simulations show that the achievable spatial resolution is on the order of the substrate thickness and that the response time t(+) depends on the width of the individual heating elements. Moreover, the rise time t(+) can be significantly shortened by deposition of a thermal insulation layer, which also reduces the power consumption and increases lateral resolution. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.