Thin-film aerogel thermal conductivity measurements via 3ω

The limiting constraint in a growing number of nano systems is the inability to thermally tune devices. Silica aerogel is widely accepted as the best solid thermal insulator in existence and offers a promising solution for microelectronic systems needing superior thermal isolation. In this study, thin-film silica aerogel films varying in thickness from 250 to 1280 nm were deposited on SiO2 substrates under a variety of deposition conditions. These samples were then thermally characterized using the 3 omega technique. Deposition processes for depositing the 3 omega testing mask to the sample were optimized and it was demonstrated that thin-film aerogel can maintain its structure in common fabrication processes for microelectromechanical systems. Results indicate that thin-film silica aerogel can maintain the unique, ultra-low thermal conductivity commonly observed in bulk aerogel, with a directly measured thermal conductivity as low as 0.024 W/m-K at temperature of 295 K and pressure between 0.1 and 1 Pa. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.