Theoretical and experimental study of silicon micromachined microheater with dielectric stacked membranes

in this paper, we model first the heating performance of a silicon micromachined microheater. The pros and cons of the use of a stacked dielectric membrane instead of p(++)-Si membranes are discussed, either in terms of electrical consumption, or in terms of temperature homogeneity. Then, we realize and characterize two examples among the simulated structures. This allows some practical problems during the fabrication, essentially due to mechanical breakdown, to be demonstrated. A general agreement between simulated and experimental results is found. This study shows significant promise in the development of stacked dielectric membranes. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.