Thin membranes
Membranes are thin layer of a certain material that span an area. We can fabricate membranes made of plastic, dielectrics, metal or silicon. It is possible to prepare structured membranes or to apply other features onto a membrane. Typical properties of membranes are very high transmission for radiation that they would absorb as solid material. In addition, membranes have a low thermal conductivity and heat capacity. Therefore, membranes are well suited as carrier for items that shall change their temperature as quickly as possible, such as thermal emitters or sensors. In addition, membranes can be fabricated out of materials that have a permeability to gases or liquids.
Application:
Due to the low thermal capacity, membranes are very suitable for realizing rapid thermal sensors, and thermal emitters.
Other applications are in the optics, X-ray optics and electron optics, where membranes can serve as a transparent substrate for optical elements such as apertures or meshes.