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-mu m 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/degrees C in the 25-65 degrees 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 degrees 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.