MEMS Temperature Characterization by CdSe Quantum Dots

Non-contact temperature measurements of MEMS structures using CdSe quantum dots (QDs) have been successfully demonstrated for a 1-mm long, 40-μm wide aluminum micro heater. Quantum dot emission wavelength shifts as a function of temperature was for the first time characterized at the single particle level to be 0.24 nm/°C in the 25-65°C range. Temperature profiles of a MEMS heater under different input powers were evaluated based on the spectral shift of bulk quantum dots on the heater and were compared with a one-dimensional electrothermal model. Both experiments and simulations are consistent with variations of less than 0.8°C. The theoretical spatial resolution of this technique can go down to the size of a single quantum dot for non-contact temperature characterizations of micro/nano structures including biological samples.