Fabrication and characterization of a microsystem for a micro-scale heat transfer study

A micro-system consisting of micro-channels with integrated temperature sensors was successfully designed and fabricated for the study of the heat-transfer properties of fluid flow in micro-domains. Surface micro-machining technology was used to construct the micro-channels with dimensions of about 40 µm × 1.4 µm × 4000 µm. Polysilicon thermistors, 4 µm × 4 µm × 0.4 µm in size were suspended across the channels and directly exposed to the fluid for local temperature measurements. The micro-channels and the micro-sensors were calibrated and the micro-system was characterized. The integrated micro-system performance was theoretically analysed to provide a framework for the interpretation of the experimental data, and the various heat-transfer mechanisms are subsequently discussed.