Diffusion at interfaces of micro thermoelectric devices

Bae, Nam Ho; Han, Seungwoo; Lee, Kwang Eun; Kim, Byeongil; Kim, Seontai

doi:10.1016/j.cap.2011.05.036

Cited by 27 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Although quite a few studies have been reported to solve the diffusion issues for bulk thermoelectric materials [7-9], little research including observation of diffusion behavior was carried out for micro-thermoelectric devices. Many anti-diffusion materials such as Au, Ag, Ni, Ta, TiN and TiW were reported in a previous study [10], but these turned out not working for p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 thin films. It was demonstrated that no thermoelectric cooling functionality might be due to diffusion of titanium into the thermoelectric elements [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)₂Te₃

et al. 2012

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This study demonstrates the feasibility of introducing a TaN thin film as a copper diffusion barrier for p-type (BiSb) 2 Te 3 thermoelectric material. Compared to conventional Ni diffusion barrier, remarkably little void generation in Cu bulk or near Cu/TaN interface originated from Cu penetration is observed for TaN barrier after suffering the thermal budget of close to soldering. Diffusion behaviors of the barriers were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) to make a deep understanding in clarifying interface diffusion effects among the Cu electrode, the barrier layer, and the (BiSb) 2 Te 3 thermoelectric layer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)₂Te₃

et al. 2012

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“…The diffusion of charge carriers has fundamental importance to tune the thermoelectric properties of oxide semiconductors. The diffusion in compound semiconductors is more complex than in elemental semiconductors because of the larger number of possible native point defects that can, in principle, mediate self-diffusion [7,8]. Oxide semiconductors have high density of intrinsic defects, which in principal affect the diffusion of charge carriers.…”

Section: Carrier Diffusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoelectric Properties of Oxide Semiconductors

Nabi¹,

Ali²,

Arshad³

et al. 2019

Solid State Physics [Working Title]

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In this chapter, we have explored the potential of oxide semiconductors for thermoelectric power generation. Various oxides (Cu 2 InO 4 , CuAlO 2 , and Zn 2 GeO 4) were grown on Si substrate by thermal evaporation method using tube furnace. After the growth, a representative sample of each oxide was cut into pieces and was annealed at various temperatures from 600 to 800°C in oxygen environment for 1 h using a programmable furnace. The structure of all annealed sample was verified by performing X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) measurements. XRD data suggested that all oxide materials show crystalline behavior at annealing temperature 800°C. XRD results further confirmed that crystal structure of investigated samples improved significantly with annealing because the intensity of oxygen-sensitive (0 0 6) plane was found to be increased with annealing temperature. To investigate the thermoelectric properties of annealed samples, Seebeck effect and Hall effect measurements were performed in the temperature range 25-100°C. It was found that the value of Seebeck coefficient and power factor increased as the annealing temperature increases. Zn 2 GeO 4 was found to be a potential thermoelectric material because it has the highest value of Seebeck coefficient and power factor. This highest value is related to the presence of secondary phases in this oxide.

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“…Moreover, considering the special microstructure and surface state of TE film, the diffusion barrier material for bulk material may not suit the TE film. For instance, for commercial TECs (fabricated using bulk TEMs), the Ni layer is always adopted for TECs as the TEiM because it can optimize the contact and block the diffusion of Sn, but it does not act as a diffusion barrier for Sn in n-type Bi 2 Te 3 and p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 films and even causes undesirable interdiffusion at temperatures as low as 100 °C. , In addition, it has been reported that different materials act as diffusion barriers for Sn in n-type Bi 2 Te 3 films and p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 films; Ta, Au, TiW, and TiN are suitable as Sn diffusion barriers for n-type Bi 2 Te 3 films but not for p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 films . Therefore, the best TEiMs for n-type and p-type Bi 2 Te 3 -based films may be different materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…22,23 In addition, it has been reported that different materials act as diffusion barriers for Sn in n-type Bi 2 Te 3 films and p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 films; Ta, Au, TiW, and TiN are suitable as Sn diffusion barriers for n-type Bi 2 Te 3 films but not for p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 films. 23 Therefore, the best TEiMs for n-type and p-type Bi 2 Te 3 -based films may be different materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of Interface Materials between Bi₂Te₃-Based Films and Cu Electrodes Enables a High Performance Thin-Film Thermoelectric Cooler

Shen

Chen

Niu

et al. 2022

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Thermoelectric interface materials (TEiMs) are key to optimizing the electrical contact and stability of the interface between thermoelectric material and metal electrode in high-performance thin-film thermoelectric coolers (TECs). Herein, we explored TEiMs applicable to representative Bi–Te films and found that Cr and Ag are effective TEiMs for p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 and n-type Bi2Te3, respectively. By introducing 200 nm Cr and 200 nm Ag as TEiMs for p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/Cu and n-type Bi2Te3/Cu interfaces, Cu diffusion is suppressed, and excellent electrical contact is achieved (1.81 × 10–12 Ω m2 for p-type and 3.32 × 10–12 Ω m2 for n-type) and remains stable after heat treatment (2.37 × 10–12 Ω m2 for p-type and 1.63 × 10–12 Ω m2 for n-type). Furthermore, the cooling flux of TECs with optimized TEiMs increases from 122.74 to 296.56 W/cm2, while the performance degradation caused by contact resistance decreases from 50.81 to 4.15%. In addition, our results show that diffusion occurs between not only Cu but also Ag and the thermoelectric material, as TEiMs diffuse slightly. The diffusion of Cu and Ag at the interface can optimize the electrical contact of Bi2Te3/Cu but strongly degrade the electrical contacts of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/Cu. Our work provides an optimal selection of TEiMs for high-performance Bi–Te thin film coolers and provides guidance for further miniaturization of devices.

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Diffusion at interfaces of micro thermoelectric devices

Cited by 27 publications

References 3 publications

Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)₂Te₃

Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)₂Te₃

Thermoelectric Properties of Oxide Semiconductors

Optimization of Interface Materials between Bi₂Te₃-Based Films and Cu Electrodes Enables a High Performance Thin-Film Thermoelectric Cooler

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Diffusion at interfaces of micro thermoelectric devices

Cited by 27 publications

References 3 publications

Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)2Te3

Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)2Te3

Thermoelectric Properties of Oxide Semiconductors

Optimization of Interface Materials between Bi2Te3-Based Films and Cu Electrodes Enables a High Performance Thin-Film Thermoelectric Cooler

Contact Info

Product

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Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)₂Te₃

Tantalum Nitride for Copper Diffusion Blocking on Thin Film (BiSb)₂Te₃

Optimization of Interface Materials between Bi₂Te₃-Based Films and Cu Electrodes Enables a High Performance Thin-Film Thermoelectric Cooler