Development of a platinum resistance thermometer on the silicon substrate for phase change studies

Resistance temperature detectors are commonly used measurement sensors in heat transfer studies. In many resistance temperature detectors, the platinum resistance thermometer (PRT) is chemically stable, has a wide temperature measurement range and possesses high measurement accuracy. In phase change studies of carbon nanotubes, bi-porous structures for microelectronic thermal management, 100 nm thick PRTs are developed on silicon substrates with 10 nm titanium adhesive to achieve precise and interface-free temperature measurements. After an annealing at 375 degrees C, the PRT samples are calibrated at a temperature range from 20 to 180 degrees C. Measurement hysteresis of temperature appears in thermal cycles. Electrical resistance tends to become low during all heating periods, which establishes the maximum measurement deviation of 10 degrees C. Experimental results from two different thin-film PRTs indicate that accurate and repeatable temperature measurements can be achieved by either reducing heating speed or using data in the cooling period.