Integrated thin film heater-thermocouple systems

A novel system of integrated thin-film heater with an embedded thermocouple was developed. Thin-film metallic heaters are widely used today in various fields of electronics and microelectronics applications. The main goal of the heater is usually to maintain the temperature in the heated zone. A deterministic method to manufacture an in situ heater - Thermocouple system, with a pre-determined heater resistance, to give a required heat power, was developed. In order to examine this novel method, thin-film heaters were made using layers of Al and NiCr alloys. The temperature of the thin-film heater was measured while heating by an embedded thin-film thermocouple, positioned in the vicinity of the heater. This thin-film thermocouple system consisted of Ni-Ag alloy. A precise control of the growing heater film, while deposition, became possible using a simultaneous measurement of the heater sample resistance.