Publications Details
Photon statistics, film preparation and characterization in fluorescent microthermal imaging
Fluorescent microthermal imaging (FMI) involves coating a sample surface with a thin inorganic-based film that, upon exposure to uv light, emits temperature-dependent fluorescence. FMI offers the ability to create thermal maps of integrated circuits with a thermal resolution theoretically limited to 1 m{degree}C and a spatial resolution diffraction-limited to 0.3 {mu}m. Even though FMI has been in use for more than a decade, many factors that can affect the thermal image quality have not been studied well. This paper presents recent results showing the limitations from photon shot noise and the improvement in signal-to-noise ratio from signal averaging. Three important factors in film preparation and characterization are presented that have a significant impact on thermal quality and sensitivity of FMI: uv bleaching, film dilution, and film curing. It is shown how proper film preparation and data collection method can dramatically improve the quality of FMI thermal images.