Nanocalorimeter for high resolution measurements of low temperature heat capacities of thin films and single crystals

Abstract

An innovative nanocalorimeter has been developed for measuring specific heats of thin films, multilayers (typical thickness: 1000 Å) and single crystals (mass: 1 μg) in the temperature range of 1.5–20 K. The addenda of the device are as small as 3 nJ/K at 4 K (0.5 nJ/K at 1.5 K), thus samples with a heat capacity of the order of nJ/K at 4 K can be measured. Heat capacity differences as a function of temperature or an external magnetic field (5 T) were determined with a resolution of ΔC/C≃10−4. This way we have seen heat capacity variations of less than a pJ/K. We present as an example measurements on very small Mn12O12 acetate single crystals and a measurement of a thin superconducting Pb layer. In the latter measurement we could evidence via specific heat a finite size effect.