The thermal simulation and metrology infrastructures available in our group provide the opportunity for some students to invent or collaborate in the development of novel microstructures, whose functionality is governed by heat transfer. One example is the first infrared transmitting solid-immersion lens [a], which achieved spatial resolution below 1 micrometer and is promising for near-field infrared thermometry [b]. Another activity includes detailed simulations and experiments in support of a high-density thermomechanical data storage device based on AFM technology [c-e]. Our ongoing work in this area is developing a platform for controlling temperature gradients in biological samples for applications in cell growth [f].
Figure 1: Flourescent image of Retinal Ganglion Cells cultured on a microfabricated heater
structure intended to study the effect of spatial temperature gradients on growth of cells
a. Fletcher et al., 2001, "Microfabricated Silicon Solid Immersion Lens," JMEMS Vol. 10, pp. 450-459. pdf
b. Fletcher et al., 2003, “Thermal Microscopy with a Microfabricated Solid Immersion Lens,” Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, Vol. 7, pp. 267-273.
c. King et al., 2004, “Comparison of Thermal and Piezoresistive Sensing Approaches for Atomic Force Microscopy Topography Measurements,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 85, pp. 2086-2088.
d. King et al., 2002, “Design of Atomic Force Microscope Cantilevers for Combined Thermomechanical Writing and Thermal Reading in Array Operation,” JMEMS, pp. 765-774.
e. King and Goodson, 2002, "Thermomechanical Formation and Thermal Imaging of Polymer Nanostructures" in Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in Microscale and Nanoscale Devices, pp. 131-171.
f. Jain et al., 2005, “A microheater device for study of temperature gradient effects on neurite outgrowth in retinal ganglion cells” Investigative Opthalmology and Visual Science, Vol. 45, p. U401.