Measuring thermal properties becomes significantly more difficult as materials and devices shrink. Conventional techniques like laser flash or guarded hot plate work well for bulk samples, but they rely on assumptions that break down at smaller scales. Thin films, interfaces, and multilayer structures introduce thermal effects that are not captured by bulk measurements. In many...
Charlottesville, VA — [September 25, 2025] — Laser Thermal, a leader in advanced thermal metrology solutions, today announced the launch of FASTR, a next-generation platform that redefines how researchers and engineers measure thermal properties across materials and length scales. By integrating two cutting-edge techniques—Steady-State ThermoReflectance (SSTR) and Frequency-Domain ThermoReflectance (FDTR)—FASTR enables unmatched flexibility, accuracy, and...
TOPS revolutionizes thermal conductivity testing for solids, liquids, pastes, gels, and foams. Charlottesville, VA, March 10, 2025 Today, Laser Thermal, a leader in optical thermal measurements, is excited to announce the launch of its groundbreaking new product, TOPS. This innovative instrument transforms how engineers and scientists measure thermal conductivity. The TOPS (Thermo-Optical Plane Source) system...
Laser Thermal is pleased to announce that we have recently secured a contract with Louisiana Tech University to enhance its semiconductor research capabilities. This partnership will bring cutting-edge technology to the University’s Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) with the installation of the SSTR-F tool, a state-of-the-art steady-state thermoreflectance in fiber tool. This new equipment will be...
Introduction As semiconductors continue to improve, thermal management becomes increasingly critical. Current semiconductor devices are certainly stronger, smaller, and higher in power densities than previously created devices. However, semiconductor performance deteriorates in the presence of excessive heat, with overall inefficiencies followed by complete failures or device breakdown. The data to predict these failures comes from...
In exciting news for the field of thermal measurement, Laser Thermal has been awarded a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This award supports DARPA’s project, “Advancing Thermo-Optical Metrology for Integrated Circuits” (ATOMIC), and promises to push the boundaries of nano-scale thermal property...
In a significant boost for semiconductor research and development, Laser Thermal has announced a new collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Charlottesville-based company has been awarded a contract to supply NIST with its groundbreaking thermal conductivity testing instrument, the Steady State Thermoreflectance in Fiber (SSTR-F). This partnership is set to...
Laser Thermal’s SSTR-F elevates the University of Maryland’s NEIT lab and beyond Laser Thermal has made significant strides in the thermal measurement field by using optical technologies to simplify and shorten the measurement process. This innovation is crucial for industries where thermal management is a significant challenge. A company’s ability to perform thermal measurements at...
As the only player in the small-scale thermal measurements market, Laser Thermal is used to standing out. That’s why it came as no surprise when America’s SBDC Virginia chose to highlight our small business in March of 2024, to join us in celebrating our achievement of over $1 million in sales in the past year....
Since 2005, Edge Scientific has specialized in representing the world’s most respected manufacturers of nanotechnology solutions. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, March 27, 2024 – Laser Thermal, a leading provider of advanced thermal property measurement tools, is pleased to announce the signing of Edge Scientific as its exclusive representative for sales of the company’s SSTR-F thermal conductivity and...
| Literature Value | TPS Measurement | SSTR-F Measurement | |
| Pyroceram 9606 | 4.07 +/- .26 | 3.95 | 3.95 +/- 0.2 |
| HPFS 7980 | 1.38 | 1.39 | 1.39 +/- 0.09 |
20 SSTR-F measurements at same spot
20 SSTR-F measurements at random spots
SSTR-F data on 4 different 200 nm dielectric films on silicon with thermal conductivity ranging from ~0.35 W/m/K up to 1.8 W/m/K. SSTR-F allows for easy, rapid and automated identification of different temperature rises based on the thermal conductivity of the different films.
SSTR measurements on ALD grown ultrathin film amorphous gate dielectrics (compared to TDTR) (source).
SSTR measurements of AlN crystalline thin films.2 SSTR data (temperature rise vs. power) on right for AlN film and silicon wafer control.