THIN-FILM MICROCALORIMETER FOR HEAT-CAPACITY MEASUREMENTS FROM 1.5-K TO 800-K

A new microcalorimeter for measuring heat capacity of thin films in the range 1.5-800 K is described. Semiconductor processing techniques are used to create a device with an amorphous silicon nitride membrane as the sample substrate, a Pt thin film resistor for temperatures greater than 40 K, and either a thin film amorphous Nb-Si or a novel boron-doped polycrystalline silicon thermometer for lower temperatures. The addenda of the device, including substrate, is 4X10(-6) J/K at room temperature and 2X10(-9) J/K at 4.3 K, approximately two orders of magnitude less than any existing calorimeter used for measuring thin films. The device is capable of measuring the heat capacity of thin film samples as small as a few micrograms.