This paper presents the optimized design, fabrication and thermal characteristics of micro-heaters for thermal MEMS (micro elelctro mechanical system) applications usign SOI (Si-on-insulator) and trench structures. The micro-heater is based on a thermal measurement principle and contains for thermal isolation regions a 10㎛ thick Si membrane with oxide-filled trenches in the SOI membrane rim. The micro-heater was fabricated with Pt-RTD (resistance thermometer device) on the same substrate by suing MgO as medium layer. The thermal characteristics of the micro-heater wit the SOI membrane is 280$^{C}$ at input power 0.9W; for the SOI membrane with 10 trenches, it is 580$^{C}$ due to reduction of the external thermal loss. Therefore, the micro-heater with trenches in SOI membrane rim provides a powerful and versatile alternative technology for improving the performance of micro-thermal sensors and actuators.