Patent ID: 7626144

Claim:
An apparatus for rapid temperature changes, comprising: (a) a sample support possessing an electrical resistance and being thermally thin, (b) an electrical circuit for measuring said resistance of said sample support and adjusting heating power released on said sample support so as to make said resistance being proportional to an external control signal, wherein said control signal is selected from the group consisting of voltage and current, wherein said control signal can be varied within microsecond time scale and faster, whereby said sample support will be at constant temperature as said control signal is constant whereby said sample support will change its temperature as said control signal varies, and whereby a sample brought in contact with said sample support will be subjected to temperature changes by varying said control signal, and whereby sample thermal properties can be determined from said heating power released on said sample support, and whereby said apparatus can realize cooling and heating rates of 100 Kelvin per millisecond and higher and, whereby said apparatus can realize switching between different temperature ramps within microsecond time scale and faster, wherein said temperature ramps are selected from the group consisting of heating, cooling and isotherms.