Fabrication of High-Temperature-Stable Thermoelectric Generator Modules Based on Nanocrystalline Silicon

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials 2014-05, Vol.43 (5), p.1389-1396
• Main Authors: Kessler, V., Dehnen, M., Chavez, R., Engenhorst, M., Stoetzel, J., Petermann, N., Hesse, K., Huelser, T., Spree, M., Stiewe, C., Ziolkowski, P., Schierning, G., Schmechel, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electric currents; Electronics; Electronics and Microelectronics; Exact sciences and technology; Generators; High temperature; Instrumentation; Materials Science; Methods of nanofabrication; Modularity; Nanocrystals; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Optical and Electronic Materials; Other topics in nanoscale materials and structures; Physics; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Silicon; Solid State Physics; Thermodynamics; Thermoelectric, pyroelectric devices, etc
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-014-3093-6

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