Patent ID: 8434939

Claim:
A method of measuring a temperature and/or temperature distribution at a resolution <1 μm in an object, such as an electronic device or a biological object, said method comprising: a) providing an object, b) applying a thermometer layer on said object or on a part of the surface of said object where a temperature and/or temperature distribution is to be measured, said thermometer layer comprising a matrix and a molecular thermometer having temperature dependent emission characteristics, said molecular thermometer being embedded in said matrix, said thermometer layer having a thickness in a range from 10 nm to 40 nm, c) providing a microscope having a light source, a first detector, a second detector, and a microscopy stage for receiving and scanning a sample to be examined, d) placing said object on said microscopy stage and using said light source to photoexcite said molecular thermometer, e) measuring emission of radiation from said photoexcited molecular thermometer by measuring a luminescence intensity ratio using said first and said second detector, wherein said luminescent intensity ratio is the ratio of luminescent intensity at a first and second wave-length, wherein said first and said second detectors are used to measure a luminescence intensity at said first and second wavelengths, respectively, and f) determining a temperature and/or temperature distribution based on said measured luminescence intensity ratio.