scope:

A standard procedure for the three-omega method is proposed for measuring the thermal conductivity of a thin, electrically insulating film, on a substrate having a thermal conductivity significantly greater than the thermal conductivity of the film. This method is applicable to a film on a silicon substrate with the following characteristics: a) the film is electrically insulating; b) the film has a thermal conductivity that is less than one tenth the thermal conductivity of silicon; c) the film is uniform in thickness and the thickness lies in the range 0,25 µm to 1 µm; d) the maximum dimensions of the film are limited by the sizes of the preparation and measurement apparatus; e) the minimum dimensions of the film are limited by the minimum size of the circuit element that can be placed on the film surface.