Cross-Plane Thermoelectric Properties in Si/Ge Superlattices

2001 ◽  
Vol 691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bao Yang ◽  
Jian L. Liu ◽  
Kang L. Wang ◽  
Gang Chen

ABSTRACTIn this paper, a set of methods is developed to measure the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity in the cross-plane direction of thin films. The method employs microfabricated heaters, voltage and temperature sensors, and phase-lock amplifiers to determine the temperature and Seebeck voltage oscillation in the cross-plane direction of the samples, from which the thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of thin films are determined simultaneously. The cross-plane electrical conductivity is also measured by a modified transmission line model. These methods are applied to Si/Ge superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy.

2010 ◽  
Vol 1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Chacha ◽  
S. Budak ◽  
Cydale Smith ◽  
Marcus Pugh ◽  
Kudus Ogbara ◽  
...  

AbstractThe performance of the thermoelectric materials and devices is shown by a dimensionless figure of merit, ZT = S2σT/K, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, T is the absolute temperature and K is the thermal conductivity. ZT can be increased by increasing S, increasing σ, or decreasing K. We have prepared 100 alternating multi-nano layer of SiO2/SiO2+Cu superlattice films using the ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The 5 MeV Si ions bombardments have been performed at the different fluences using the AAMU Pelletron ion beam accelerator to make quantum clusters in the multi-layer superlattice thin films to decrease the cross plane thermal conductivity increase the cross plane Seebeck coefficient and cross plane electrical conductivity. To characterize the thermoelectric thin films before and after Si ion bombardments we have measured the cross-plane Seebeck coefficient, the cross-plane electrical conductivity, and the cross-plane thermal conductivity for different fluences.


2007 ◽  
Vol 1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Budak ◽  
S. Guner ◽  
C. Muntele ◽  
C. C. Smith ◽  
B. Zheng ◽  
...  

AbstractSemiconducting â-Zn4Sb3and ZrNiSn-based half-heusler compound thin films were prepared by co-evaporation for the application of thermoelectric (TE) materials. High-purity solid zinc and antimony were evaporated by electron beam to grow the â-Zn4Sb3thin film while high-purity zirconium powder and nickel tin powders were evaporated by electron beam to grow the ZrNiSn-based half-heusler compound thin film. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) was used to analyze the composition of the thin films. The grown thin films were subjected to 5 MeV Si ions bombardments for generation of nanostructures in the films. We measured the thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and electrical conductivity of these two systems before and after 5 MeV Si ions beam bombardments. The two material systems have been identified as promising TE materials for the application of thermal-to-electrical energy conversion, but the efficiency still limits their applications. The electronic energy deposited due to ionization in the track of MeV ion beam can cause localized crystallization. The nanostructures produced by MeV ion beam can cause significant change in both the electrical and the thermal conductivity of thin films, thereby improving the efficiency. We used the 3ù-method measurement system to measure the cross-plane thermal conductivity ,the Van der Pauw measurement system to measure the cross-plane electrical conductivity, and the Seebeck-coefficient measurement system to measure the cross-plane Seebeck coefficient. The thermoelectric figures of merit of the two material systems were then derived by calculations using the measurement results. The MeV ion-beam bombardment was found to decrease the thermal conductivity of thin films and increase the efficiency of thermal-to-electrical energy conversion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pornsiri Wanarattikan ◽  
Piya Jitthammapirom ◽  
Rachsak Sakdanuphab ◽  
Aparporn Sakulkalavek

In this work, stoichiometric Sb2Te3 thin films with various thicknesses were deposited on a flexible substrate using RF magnetron sputtering. The grain size and thickness effects on the thermoelectric properties, such as the Seebeck coefficient (S), electrical conductivity (σ), power factor (PF), and thermal conductivity (k), were investigated. The results show that the grain size was directly related to film thickness. As the film thickness increased, the grain size also increased. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity corresponded to the grain size of the films. The mean free path of carriers increases as the grain size increases, resulting in a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient and increase in electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity strongly affects the temperature dependence of PF which results in the highest value of 7.5 × 10−4 W/m·K2 at 250°C for film thickness thicker than 1 µm. In the thermal conductivity mechanism, film thickness affects the dominance of phonons or carriers. For film thicknesses less than 1 µm, the behaviour of the phonons is dominant, while both are dominant for film thicknesses greater than 1 µm. Control of the grain size and film thickness is thus critical for controlling the performance of Sb2Te3 thin films.


Author(s):  
Shrikant Saini ◽  
Ajay Kumar Baranwal ◽  
Tomohide Yabuki ◽  
Shuzi Hayase ◽  
Koji Miyazaki

Abstract Thermoelectric materials can convert thermal energy into electrical energy without any moving part which leads its path of application to the era of printed and flexible electronics. CsSnI3 perovskite can be a promising thermoelectric material for the next-generation energy conversion due to its intrinsic ultra-low thermal conductivity and large Seebeck coefficient but enhancement of electrical conductivity is still required. CsSnI3 can be prepared by wet process which can reduce the cost of flexible thermoelectric module. In this work, CsSnI3 thin films were fabricated by spin coating wet process. Thin films were structurally and chemically characterized using XRD and SEM. Thermoelectric properties such as electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity were measured at 300 K. Uni-leg thermoelectric modules were fabricated on a glass substrate using CsSnI3 thin films. The maximum output is about 0.8 nW for 5 legs (25 mm × 3 mm × 600 nm) modules for the temperature difference of about 5°C. These results will open a new pathway to thermoelectric modules for flexible electronics in spite of low output power.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadik Guner ◽  
Satilmis Budak ◽  
Claudiu I Muntele ◽  
Daryush Ila

AbstractMonolayer thin films of YbBiPt and YBiPt have been produced with 560 nm and 394 nm thick respectively in house and their thermoelectric properties were measured before and after MeV ion bombardment. The energy of the ions were selected such that the bombarding Si ions stop in the silicon substrate and deposit only electronic energy by ionization in the deposited thin film. The bombardment by 5.0 MeV Si ions at various fluences changed the homogeneity as well as reducing the internal stress in the films thus affecting the thermal, electrical and Seebeck coefficient of thin films. The stoichiometry of the thin films was determined using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, the thickness has been measured using interferometry and the electrical conductivity was measured using Van der Pauw method. Thermal conductivity of the thin films was measured using an in-house built 3ω thermal conductivity measurement system. Using the measured Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity we calculated the figure of merit (ZT). We will report our findings of change in the measured figure of merit as a function of bombardment fluence.


2009 ◽  
Vol 1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cydale Smith ◽  
Marcus Pugh ◽  
Hervie Martin ◽  
Rufus Durel Hill ◽  
Brittany James ◽  
...  

AbstractEffective thermoelectric materials have a low thermal conductivity and a high electrical conductivity. The performance of the thermoelectric materials and devices is shown by a dimensionless figure of merit, ZT = S2sσ/ KTC, σ is the electrical conductivity T/KTC, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, T is the absolute temperature and KTC is the thermal conductivity. In this study we have prepared the thermoelectric generator device of Si/Si+Ge multi-layer superlattice films using the ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). To determine the stoichiometry of the elements of Si and Ge in the grown multilayer films and the thickness of the grown multi-layer films Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and RUMP simulation software package were used. The 5 MeV Si ion bombardments were performed to make quantum clusters in the multi-layer superlattice thin films to decrease the cross plane thermal conductivity, increase the cross plane Seebeck coefficient and cross plane electrical conductivity.Keywords: Ion bombardment, thermoelectric properties, multi-nanolayers, Figure of merit.


2009 ◽  
Vol 1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Pugh ◽  
Rufus Durel Hill ◽  
Brittany James ◽  
Hervie Martin ◽  
Cydale Smith ◽  
...  

AbstractThe efficiency of the thermoelectric devices is limited by the properties of n- and p-type semiconductors. Effective thermoelectric materials have a low thermal conductivity and a high electrical conductivity. The performance of the thermoelectric materials and devices is shown by a dimensionless figure of merit, ZT = S2σT/K, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, T is the absolute temperature and K is the thermal conductivity. In this study we prepared the thermoelectric generator device of SiO2/SiO2+Au multi-layer super-lattice films using the ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). In order to determine the stoichiometry of the elements of SiO2 and Au in the grown multilayer films and the thickness of the grown multi-layer films Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and RUMP simulation software package was used. The 5 MeV Si ion bombardments was performed to make quantum clusters in the multi-layer super-lattice thin films to decrease the cross plane thermal conductivity, increase the cross plane Seebeck coefficient and cross plane electrical conductivity. To characterize the thermoelectric generator devices before and after Si ion bombardments we measured the cross-plane Seebeck coefficient, the cross-plane electrical conductivity, and the cross-plane thermal conductivity for different fluences.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Pugh ◽  
S. Budak ◽  
Cydale Smith ◽  
John Chacha ◽  
Kudus Ogbara ◽  
...  

AbstractEffective thermoelectric materials have a low thermal conductivity and a high electrical conductivity. The performance of the thermoelectric materials and devices is shown by a dimensionless figure of merit, ZT = S2σT/K, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, T is the absolute temperature and K is the thermal conductivity. ZT can be increased by increasing S, increasing σ or decreasing K. MeV ion bombardment caused defects and disorder in the film and the grain boundaries of these nano-scale clusters increase phonon scattering and increase the chance of an inelastic interaction and phonon annihilation. We have prepared 100 alternating layers of Si/Si+Ge nanolayered superlattice films using the ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The 5 MeV Si ions bombardments have been performed using the AAMU Pelletron ion beam accelerator to make quantum clusters in the nanolayered superlattice films to decrease the cross plane thermal conductivity, increase the cross plane Seebeck coefficient and cross plane electrical conductivity. We have characterized the thermoelectric thin films before and after Si ion bombardments as we measured the cross-plane Seebeck coefficient, the cross-plane electrical conductivity, and the cross-plane thermal conductivity for different fluences


2008 ◽  
Vol 1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Budak ◽  
S. Guner ◽  
T. Hill ◽  
M. Black ◽  
S. B. Judah ◽  
...  

AbstractThermoelectric materials are being important due to their application in both thermoelectric power generation and microelectronic cooling. The thermoelectric power generations convert the heat change to electricity. The waste of heat could be useful if the thermoelectric power generation is applied. Effective thermoelectric materials have a low thermal conductivity and a high electrical conductivity. A high thermal conductivity causes too much heat leakage through heat conduction. The performance of the thermoelectric materials and devices is shown by a dimensionless figure of merit, ZT = S2σT/K, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, T is the absolute temperature and K is the thermal conductivity. ZT can be increased by increasing S, increasing σ, or decreasing K. In this study, we prepared thermoelectric generator devices of SiGe at the thickness of 112 nm using the ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) system. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) analysis was used for the elemental analysis. The 5 MeV Si ion bombardment was performed using the AAMU Pelletron ion beam accelerator to make quantum clusters in the film to decrease the cross plane thermal conductivity, increase the cross plane Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity. To characterize the thermoelectric generator devices before and after Si ion bombardment we measured the cross plane Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity by Van der Pauw method, and thermal conductivity by 3w method for different fluences.


Author(s):  
Daniel P. Sellan ◽  
Joseph E. Turney ◽  
Eric S. Landry ◽  
Alan J. H. McGaughey ◽  
Cristina H. Amon

The cross-plane and in-plane phonon thermal conductivities of Stillinger-Weber (SW) silicon thin films are predicted using the Boltzmann transport equation under the relaxation time approximation. We model the thin films using bulk phonon properties obtained from harmonic and anharmonic lattice dynamics calculations. The cross-plane and in-plane thermal conductivities are reduced from the corresponding bulk value. This reduction is more severe for the cross-plane direction than for the in-plane direction. For the in-plane direction, we find that the predicted reduction in thermal conductivity gives a good lower bound to available experimental results. Including the effects of boundary scattering using the Matthiessen rule, which assumes that scattering mechanisms are independent, yields thermal conductivity predictions that are at most 12% lower than our more accurate results. Neglecting optical phonon modes, while valid for bulk systems, introduces 22.5% error when modeling thin films. Using phonon properties along the [001] direction (i.e., the isotropic approximation) yields bulk predictions that are 15% lower than that when all of the phonon modes are considered. For thin films, this deviation increases to 25%. Our results show that a single bulk phonon mean free path is an inadequate metric for predicting the thermal conductivity reduction in thin films.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document