Abstract
High-temperature-stable thermoelectric generator modules (TGMs) based on nanocrystalline silicon have been fabricated, characterized by the Harman technique, and measured in a generator test facility at the German Aerospace Center. Starting with highly doped p- and n-type silicon nanoparticles from a scalable gas-phase process, nanocrystalline bulk silicon was obtained using a current-activated sintering technique. Electrochemical plating methods were employed to metalize the nanocrystalline silicon. The specific electrical contact resistance ρ c of the semiconductor–metal interface was characterized by a transfer length method. Values as low as ρ c < 1 × 10−6 Ω cm2 were measured. The device figure of merit of a TGM with 64 legs was approximately ZT = 0.13 at 600°C as measured by the Harman technique. Using a generator test facility, the maximum electrical power output of a TGM with 100 legs was measured to be roughly 1 W at hot-side temperature of 600°C and cold-side temperature of 300°C.
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Kessler, V., Dehnen, M., Chavez, R. et al. Fabrication of High-Temperature-Stable Thermoelectric Generator Modules Based on Nanocrystalline Silicon. J. Electron. Mater. 43, 1389–1396 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3093-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3093-6