Miniaturized ceramic differential scanning calorimeter with integrated oven and crucible in LTCC technology

A Miniaturized Ceramic Differential Scanning Calorimeter with integrated oven and crucible (MC-DSC) is presented. Despite its small size of only 11 mm x 39 mm x 1.5 mm, all functions of a conventional DSC apparatus are integrated in this novel device - including the oven. The MC-DSC is fully manufactured in thick-film and Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics (LTCC) technology. Therefore, production costs are low. Initial results using Indium as a sample material show a good dynamic performance of the MC-DSC. Full width at half maximum of the melting peak is 2.5 K (sample mass: 10.993 mg, heating rate: 50 K/min). Reproducibility of the Indium melting point is within ±0.1 K. The melting peak area increases linearly up to sample masses of at least 26 mg.