chip-scale thermoelectric energy harvester for room ...m...thermoelectric n-type bismuth telluride...

Chip-Scale Thermoelectric Energy Harvester for Room

Temperature Applications

A Dissertation Presented

By

Samer A. Haidar

to

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

in the field of

Electrical Engineering

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

May 2020

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To my family.

3

Abstract

Thermoelectric energy harvesters have emerged as a solution for power generation by

converting wasted heat directly into electrical energy through the Seebeck effect. As a

result, they play a critical role in the development of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) wireless

devices and sensors. High efficiency thermoelectric (TE) materials are important for

power generation and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse

gas emissions. Recent advances in fabrication technology have enabled these devices to

be constructed at the chip-scale level promoting the use with low power devices such as

wireless sensors and wearable applications.

Thermoelectric n-type bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) films and p-type antimony telluride

(Sb2Te3) films are grown on SiO2/Si substrates using RF magnetron sputtering via

physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. The objective of this dissertation is to study the

crystal structure, grain size and elemental composition for 1µm and 10µm thermoelectric

films deposited using different deposition conditions and using various heat treatment

recipes. The thermoelectric properties of the films are found to be strongly dependent on

the sputtering method and deposition temperature that lead to the design and fabrication

of micro-scale thermoelectric energy generator (µTEG) based on the vertical

architecture, which is geared towards IoT and wearable applications close to room

temperature.

It is observed that high temperature single-target sputtered depositions of n-type Bi2Te3

films result in a tellurium Te-deficient of stoichiometric films (Bi:Te = 2:3) due to the

evaporation of tellurium. Two-target co-sputtered depositions using Bi2Te3 and Te targets

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at room temperature and subsequent anneal at +250°C yielded a 10µm n-type film with -

102µV/K for the Seebeck coefficient and 0.7 mW/K2.m for the power factor. Similarly,

prepared p-type Sb2Te3 film but using a single sputtering target yielded +110µV/K and

1.3 mW/K2.m for their Seebeck coefficient and power factor respectively. The design,

fabrication and characterization of the proposed vertical µTEG using separate n-type and

p-type wafers is demonstrated. Device power output as a function of the temperature

difference measured as high as 1 mW for the vertical μTEG with ~13.8 mm2 footprint

and device ΔT of ~7.5 K.

We also introduce a second-generation µTEG based on patented pyramid architecture to

overcome limitations of the vertical architecture such as thermal resistance and

manufacturing constraints. In the pyramid design, the thermoelectric elements are

deposited along a polyimide slope allowing more than 20µm of leg length for film

depositions under 5µm thick. In this architecture, the heat flows at a slight angle

compared to the top-down vertical architecture allowing for longer effective leg length

and higher output performance. We present fabrication flow of the second-generation

architecture and identify future age-related reliability stress test experiments post

characterization to assess device performance under field conditions such as high

temperature and humidity. Mechanical cross-sectioning Scanning Electron Microscopy

(SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses will be used for device

enhancements to achieve the desired power output performance.

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Acknowledgments

This dissertation could not be completed without the guidance and support of many

friends and colleagues who made this work possible. First, I would like to express my

gratitude to my advisor Professor Nian Sun for his support and encouragement during the

past five years. This dissertation could not be finished without his support especially

during time critical milestones. He made difficult things look easy and this is very

important for all part-time students. I still remember when we first met and discovered

his openness towards research and especially his enthusiasm to work with innovative

companies in the industry. He gave me the freedom to work on what interested me and

encouraged me throughout the research.

I’m thankful to my committee members, Dr. Baoxing Chen from Analog Devices Inc.

for all his guidance and support throughout the research, Professor Hui Fang and

Professor Yong-bin Kim from Northeastern University for their support and for their time

to review my dissertation. I greatly appreciate their efforts and feedback.

I would also thank my colleagues at Analog Devices Inc. very much specifically, Dr.

Nigel J. Coburn, Dr. Jane E. Cornett, Dr. Jean-Jacques Hajjar, Dr. Kevin Lukas, Dr.

Colm Glynn, Daniel McDaid, Arnaud Sow and my colleagues at Stanford university and

Northeastern university, Dr. Marc T. Dunham (Stanford), Dr. Yuan Gao (Northeastern,

Winchester Technologies) and Yifan He (Northeastern) in Professor Sun’s group. I

appreciate everything they’ve done for me to make this research work possible. Special

thanks to my friend James Griffin who gave me my first full-time job at Analog Devices

Inc. and believed in me.

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I also like to thank the entire product analysis group at Analog Devices Inc. for all the

support during the past five years. This group is like family and I thank everyone for all

the help.

I would like to show my deep gratitude to mom and dad for their unconditional love and

support. Finally, I would like to show my very special thanks and profound love and

appreciation to my dear wife who always supported and encouraged me to finish this

dissertation work while raising a beautiful family. I owe all my success to her and my

parents and I’m eternally grateful.

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List of Publications

• Chip-Scale Thermal Energy Harvester Using Bi2Te3, Jane Cornett, Bill Lane, Marc

Dunham, Mehdi Asheghi, Kenneth Goodson, Yuan Gao, Nian Sun, and Baoxing

Chen, IECON 2015 - Yokohama 41st Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial

Electronics Society.

• Fabrication and Characterization of Bi2Te3-Based Chip-Scale Thermoelectric

Energy Harvesting Devices, Jane Cornett, Samer Haidar, Helen Berney, Pat

McGuinness, Bill Lane, Yuan Gao, Yifan He, Nian Sun, Marc Dunham, Mehdi

Asheghi, Ken Goodson, Yi Yuan and Khalil Najafi, Journal of Electronic Materials,

Vol. 46, No. 5, 2017.

• Experimental Characterization of Microfabricated Thermoelectric Energy

Harvesters for Smart Sensor and Wearable Applications, Marc T. Dunham, Michael

T. Barako, Jane E. Cornett, Yuan Gao, Samer Haidar, Nian Sun, Mehdi Asheghi,

Baoxing Chen, and Kenneth E. Goodson, Adv. Mater. Technol. 2018, 1700383.

• Deposition and Fabrication of Sputtered Bismuth Telluride and Antimony

Telluride for Microscale Thermoelectric Energy Harvesters, Samer A. Haidar, Yuan

Gao, Yifan He, Jane E. Cornett, Baoxing Chen, Nigel J. Coburn, Colm Glynn , Marc

T. Dunham, Kenneth E. Goodson and Nian Sun, Pending acceptance in Thin Solid

Films, 2020.

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Table of Contents

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... 5

List of Publications ........................................................................................................................ 7

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 8

List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... 11

List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ 16

Nomenclature ............................................................................................................................... 17

Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 18

1.1 Background .................................................................................................................... 18

1.2 Thermoelectric Effect .................................................................................................... 20

1.2.1 Seebeck Effect ........................................................................................................... 20

1.2.2 Peltier Effect .............................................................................................................. 22

1.2.3 Thomson Effect .......................................................................................................... 23

1.2.4 The Kelvin Relationships ........................................................................................... 23

1.3 Thermoelectric Materials ............................................................................................... 24

1.3.1 Bismuth Telluride ...................................................................................................... 26

1.3.2 Antimony Telluride .................................................................................................... 27

1.4 Thermoelectric Transport Properties ............................................................................. 27

1.4.1 Seebeck Coefficient ................................................................................................... 28

1.4.2 Electrical Conductivity .............................................................................................. 28

1.4.3 Thermal Conductivity ................................................................................................ 30

1.4.4 Figure of Merit (ZT) .................................................................................................. 31

1.5 Thin Film Material ......................................................................................................... 32

1.6 Applications ................................................................................................................... 33

Chapter 2. Material Deposition and Optimization ................................................................... 34

2.1 Background .................................................................................................................... 34

2.1.1 Sputtering ................................................................................................................... 35

2.1.2 Thermal Evaporation.................................................................................................. 36

2.1.3 Molecular Beam Epitaxy ........................................................................................... 37

2.1.4 Chemical Vapor Deposition ....................................................................................... 38

2.2 Optimization Methods ................................................................................................... 39

2.2.1 Doping........................................................................................................................ 39

9

2.2.2 Co-Sputtering ............................................................................................................. 39

2.2.3 Alloying ..................................................................................................................... 40

2.2.4 Nanomaterials ............................................................................................................ 40

2.2.5 Grain Boundaries ....................................................................................................... 41

2.3 Annealing ....................................................................................................................... 41

Chapter 3. Thermoelectric Film Depositions – Experimental Procedure............................... 43

3.1 Background .................................................................................................................... 44

3.2 Sputtering of Thin Films ................................................................................................ 46

3.3 X-ray Diffraction ........................................................................................................... 47

3.3.1 Bragg’s Law ............................................................................................................... 47

3.4 Experimental Details ...................................................................................................... 49

3.4.1 Seebeck and Hall Measurements ............................................................................... 52

3.5 Thin-Film Deposition and Characterization .................................................................. 53

3.5.1 High Temperature Sputtering of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 Films ........................................ 53

3.5.1.1 Single Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films ..................................................................... 53

3.5.1.2 Co-sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films @ 60W .............................................................. 58

3.5.1.3 Co-Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films @ 90W ............................................................. 60

3.5.1.4 Co-Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films – Vary Bi2Te3 Power ........................................ 63

3.5.1.5 Co-Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films – Vary Temperature ......................................... 66

3.5.2 Summary of High Temperature Deposition of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films............................. 68

3.5.3 Sputtering of 1µm Sb2Te3 Films ................................................................................ 69

3.5.4 Room Temperature Sputtering and Annealing of Films ............................................ 71

3.6 Thin Film Summary ....................................................................................................... 75

Chapter 4. Fabrication and Characterization of Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting Devices

....................................................................................................................................................... 76

4.1 Fabrication of TEG Device – Vertical Architecture ...................................................... 76

4.2 Device Performance ....................................................................................................... 83

4.3 Analysis of Bond Interface ............................................................................................ 86

4.3.1 SEM Analysis and Mechanical Cross-Section ........................................................... 86

4.4 Summary of Vertical TEG ............................................................................................. 88

Chapter 5. Manufacturing Perspective of Second-Generation TE Devices and Conclusion 89

5.1 Fabrication of TEG Device – Pyramid Architecture ...................................................... 89

5.2 Process flow of the 2-Pyramid Architecture .................................................................. 91

5.3 Conclusion and Future Work ......................................................................................... 92

5.3.1 Future Work ............................................................................................................... 94

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5.3.1.1 Solder Heat Resistance............................................................................................... 94

5.3.1.2 Temperature Cycling.................................................................................................. 94

5.3.1.3 Unbiased Highly Accelerated Stress Test .................................................................. 95

5.3.1.4 Autoclave ................................................................................................................... 95

Appendix A. Fabrication and Characterization of Bi2Te3-Based Chip-Scale Thermoelectric

Energy Harvesting Devices ......................................................................................................... 96

Authors ....................................................................................................................................... 96

A.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 96

A.2. Methods .............................................................................................................................. 97

A.3. Results: .............................................................................................................................. 99

A.4. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 101

A.5. References ........................................................................................................................ 101

Appendix B. Experimental Characterization of Microfabricated Thermoelectric Energy

Harvesters for Smart Sensor and Wearable Applications ..................................................... 102

Authors ..................................................................................................................................... 102

B.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 102

B.2. Design of Microfabricated TEGs: .................................................................................... 104

B.3. μTEG Fabrication ............................................................................................................. 107

B.4. Device Characterization ................................................................................................... 110

B.4.1. Infrared Microscopy ...................................................................................................... 110

B.4.2. Thermal Resistance and Structural Imaging ................................................................. 118

B.5. Determination of material and device properties ............................................................ 120

B.5.1. Thermoelectric material thermal conductivity .............................................................. 120

B.5.2. Thermoelement/interconnect electrical contact resistance ............................................ 121

B.5.3. Material Seebeck coefficient and load power modeling ............................................... 124

B.5.3. Device ZT from thermal efficiency ............................................................................... 125

B.6. Summary and Concluding Remarks ................................................................................. 129

B.7. Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 129

B.8. Nomenclature ................................................................................................................... 130

B.9. References ........................................................................................................................ 131

Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 133

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List of Figures

Figure 1.1: Thermocouple schematic. If the junctions of A and B are held at different

temperatures, an open circuit voltage, V is created 9 .........................................................21

Figure 1.2: Demonstration of thermoelectricity using the Seebeck effect. ........................21

Figure 1.3: Demonstration of thermoelectricity using the Peltier effect. ..........................22

Figure 1.4: Schematic showing dependence of electrical conductivity,

Seebeck coefficient, and power factor on the charge carrier concentration 9. ...................25

Figure 1.5: Figure of merit ZT of common bulk materials versus temperature 12. ............26

Figure 1.6: Crystal structure of Bi2Te3. Blue atoms are Bismuth (Bi),

and pink atoms are Tellirum (Te) 12. ..................................................................................27

Figure 1.7: Seebeck coefficient (α), electrical conductivity (), thermal conductivity (),

power factor (α) and figure-of-merit (ZT) as a function of the carrier concentration 20

............................................................................................................................................29

Figure 1.8: Plot of figure-of-merit (ZT) as function of temperature (K) for (a) n-type

thermoelectric materials and (b) p-type thermoelectric thermoelectric materials 21. .........32

Figure 1.9: (a) Microplet Thermogenerator TPG device, (b) High magnification

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of internal device post device uncapping

and (c) EDX layered image showing the active thermoelectric material are Bi2Te3 and

Sb2Te3. ...............................................................................................................................33

Figure 2.1: Typical representation of thermoelectric deposition deposition methods 38. ..35

Figure 2.2: Schematic of the Sputtering deposition deposition process 39. .......................36

Figure 2.3: Schematic of an evaporation deposition system 40. .........................................37

Figure 2.4: large grain with less grain boundaries (left image) verses small grain structure

with more grain boundaries (right image)47. ......................................................................41

Figure 3.1: Pysical Vapor Depostion system, manufactured by AJA International. .........46

Figure 3.2: Philips X’Pert materials X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Tool 57. ............................47

Figure 3.3: Concept of Bragg’s diffraction law 58. ............................................................48

Figure 3.4: Schematic for single target sputtering. The same method is applicable to p-

type film. ............................................................................................................................49

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Figure 3.5: Schematic for two target co-sputtering. A separate tellirum (Te) target is

added for co-sputtering deposition.....................................................................................50

Figure 3.6: Four probe measurement technique for Seebeck coefficient in an enclosed

case. ....................................................................................................................................51

Figure 3.7: Representative graph for obtaining Seebeck coefficient and Hall

measurements. ....................................................................................................................52

Figure 3.8: Cross-section image of the single target sputtered films. ................................53

Figure 3.9: SEM image of Bi2Te3 films deposited using single-sputtered target at:

(a) 25°C; (b) 150°C; (c) 200°C; (d) 250°C; (e) 300°C; and (f) 350°C. .............................54

Figure 3.10: XRD spectra taken from bismuth telluride films deposited at temperatures

between 25°C and 350°C. Bi2Te3 peaks are labeled, with vertical dashed lines marking

the locations of Bi2Te3 (0 0 3) and (0 0 9) peaks ...............................................................55

Figure 3.11: Elemental composition (EDX) atomic ratio of Bi to Te for single-target

sputtered n-type films, as a function of deposition temperature (°C). ...............................56

Figure 3.12: (a) Carrier concentration and mobility; (b) conductivity and Seebeck

Coefficient and (c) Power factor of n-type single sputtered films as a function of the

deposition temperature. ......................................................................................................57

Figure 3.13: SEM image of films deposited at 150°C by (a) single sputtering, (b) co-

sputtering with 10W power to Te target, (c) 15W power to Te target and (d) 20W power

to Te target. ........................................................................................................................58

Figure 3.14: XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered Bi2Te3 deposited with a range of Te

powers. Bi2Te3 peaks are labeled, with vertical dashed lines marking (0 0 l) family peaks.

The asterisks indicate secondary peaks attributed to a separate Te phase; ........................59

Figure 3.15: Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a function of Te sputtering power for co-

sputtered films. ...................................................................................................................60

Figure 3.16: SEM image of films deposited at 150°C using 90W of power for Bi2Te3 by

(a) single sputtering, (b) co-sputtering with 10W to Te target, (c) 15W Te and (d) 20W

Te. ......................................................................................................................................61

Figure 3.17: Cross-section SEM image for (a) single sputtering film, (b) co-sputtered

with 10W of Te, (c) co-sputtered with 15W of Te and (d) co-sputtered with 20W of Te. 61

13

Figure 3.18: (a) XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered Bi2Te3 films deposited at 90W with a

range of Te powers. (b) Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a function of the Te sputtering

power..................................................................................................................................62


Coefficient and (c) Power factor of co-sputtered films as a function of Te power. ..........63

Figure 3.20: SEM image of films deposited at 150°C with 10W Te by (a) co-sputtering

with 65W power to Bi2Te3 target, (b)75W, (c) 80W, and (d) 85W. .................................64

Figure 3.21: Cross- section SEM image of (a) 65W Bi2Te3, .............................................64

Figure 3.22: (a) XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered films deposited with a range of

Bi2Te3 powers. (b) Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a function of Bi2Te3 sputtering power. ...65

Figure 3.23 (a) Carrier concentration and mobility; (b) conductivity and Seebeck

Coefficient and ...................................................................................................................65

Figure 3.24: SEM images of co-sputtered films deposited with 90W of Bi2Te3 and 10W

of Te at various temperatures (a) 25°C, (b) 150°C, (c) 200°C, and (d) 250°C. .................66

Figure 3.25: Cross- section SEM image of films deposited at various temperatures (a)

25°C, (b) 150°C, (c) 200°C, and (d) 250°C. ......................................................................66

Figure 3.26: (a) XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered films deposited with a fixed Bi2Te3

power and fixed Te power while varying temperature. (b) Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a

function of deposition temperature using fixed Bi2Te3 powers and fixed Te power. ........67

Figure 3.27: Transport properties using fixed Bi2Te3 power and fixed Te power while

varying temperature (a) Carrier concentration and mobility; (b) conductivity and Seebeck

Coefficient and ...................................................................................................................68

Figure 3.28: SEM of p-type deposited at (a) room temperature and

150°C by (b) single sputtering and (c) co-sputtering. ........................................................69

Figure 3.29: XRD spectra taken for single target sputtered and co-sputtered Sb2Te3

deposited at 150°C. ............................................................................................................70

Figure 3.30: Annealed n-type film for 30min @250°C with 90min ramp up/ramp down,

30 PSI .................................................................................................................................71

Figure 3.31: Annealed n-type film for 30 mins @250°C with 30min ramp up/ramp

down, 50 PSI. .....................................................................................................................72

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Figure 3.32: Annealed n-type film for 30 mins @300°C with 2.5hrs ramp up/ramp down,

30 PSI. ................................................................................................................................72

Figure 3.33: Annealed n-type film for 14 hrs @225°C with 80min ramp up/ramp down,

30 PSI. ................................................................................................................................72

Figure 3.34: SEM image of room temp co-sputtered 10µm n-type films using: (a) no

anneal; (b) 30 mins anneal; (c) 1hr anneal; and (d) 2hr anneal. ........................................74

Figure 4.1: (a) SEM image of the completed TEG device after removal of the top die; (b)

Higher magnification SEM image of the individual thermoelectric legs connected in

series. (c) Layout schematic for a typical ~12mm2 vertical TEG device, showing the

metallic interconnects in orange and thermoelectric legs in purple. ..................................77

Figure 4.2: Schematic of vertical structure process flow (a) Vertical structure after Au

electroplating. (b) Double layer photo-resist (c) Deposition of active material. (d) lift-off

............................................................................................................................................78

Figure 4.3: optical image of the completed p-type wafer. .................................................80

Figure 4.4: Higher magnification SEM image of the p-type wafer. .................................80

Figure 4.5: (a) Completed n-type and p-type wafer prior to dicing, (b) Vertical device

architecture showing the individual diced die and (c) Completed die post bonding. ........81

Figure 4.6: Vertical device architecture showing (a) n-type and p-type legs are

electrically in series and (b) thermally in parallel. .............................................................82

Figure 4.7: (a) 3D X-ray image of the TEG device, (b) optical image of the TEG device.

............................................................................................................................................83

Figure 4.8: Thernal QFI image showing the ΔT drop across the TEG device. .................84

Figure 4.9: Device performance data collected for a single TEG: (a) load voltage as a

function of current and (b) power out as a function of load resistance for several

magnitudes of temperature gradient across device. Maximum power as a function of

temperature gradient is shown in (c). .................................................................................85

Figure 4.10: (a) SEM image of the TEG device post removal of top cap wafer and (b)

Higher manginfation SEM of the highlighted thermocoupe legs. .....................................86

Figure 4.11: (a) Cross-section SEM imeg of the bond interface post bond, (b) SEM image

of n-type leg including material thickness and (c) Higher magnification of the euteic bond

interface..............................................................................................................................87

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Figure 4.12: EDX map of the bond interface of the n-type leg. .......................................88

Figure 5.1: Schematic cross-section image of the patented pyramid structure 62. ............90

Figure 5.2: (a) High magnification cross-secton SEM image with labels of the individual

legs of the TEG device. (b) slope of the active material ....................................................90

Figure 5.3: Process flow for the 2-pyramid structure 62.....................................................91

Figure 5.4: Representative temperature profile for the thermal cycle condition 64. ..........95

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List of Tables

Table 3.1: Chip-scale thermoelectric material in the literatures based on Bi2Te3 and

Sb2Te3. ...............................................................................................................................45

Table 3.2: Thermoelectric, deposition of 10µm n-type and p-type films plus anneal.

Resistivity (ρ), Seebeck (S), Power Factor (PF), Carrier Concentration (CC), Mobility

(μ). ......................................................................................................................................74

Table 4.1: Measured properties for thermoelectric materials and interconnect. ................83

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Nomenclature

PF Thermoelectric power factor (mW/K2.m)

S Seebeck coefficient (μV/K)

T Temperature

ΔT Temperature gradient

ZT Thermoelectric material figure of merit

ρ Electrical resistivity (Ω-m)

Electrical conductivity (S/m)

Thermal conductivity (W/k.m)

TEG Thermoelectric Generator

μTEG Microscale Thermoelectric Generator

CC Carrier Concentration (cm-3)

μ Mobility (cm2 /v.s)

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Chapter 1. Introduction

As the demand for power increases around the globe, manufacturers and consumers

everywhere continue to look for alternative sources of clean and sustainable energy 1. In

1821 Thomas J. Seebeck discovered that a circuit made from two dissimilar metals with

junctions at different temperatures produce an electric voltage 2. A decade later, Jean

Charles Peltier learned that an electric potential creates a temperature difference at the

junction of two dissimilar metals causing heat to be either absorbed or emitted at the

junction of the materials 3.

1.1 Background

This direct conversion of temperature differences into an electric potential and vice versa

is known as the thermoelectric effect and can be used to either generate electricity

(Seebeck effect) or act as temperature controller (Peltier Effect). As the semiconductor

technology shown significant advancement in recent years, thermoelectric devices have

become more feasible. Thermoelectric generators (TEG) have emerged as a solution for

power generation through thermal energy harvesting of waste heat 1,4. They utilize the

Seebeck effect by converting a thermal gradient from external, otherwise wasted sources

of heat into an electric potential. The application of thermoelectric material for supplying

wireless smart sensors and devices, offers significant advantages to the development

of the internet-of-things (IoT) market and wearable applications 5,6. However, for

thermoelectric devices to excel in this space, their efficiency must be increased. The

efficiency is achieved by enhancing the thermal and electrical transport properties of the

materials. The performance of thermoelectric materials can be evaluated using the

19

dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, or power factor, PF. The figure of merit is defined as:

ZT = (S 2) where S (V/K) is the Seebeck coefficient, a measure of a generated

thermoelectric voltage in response to a temperature gradient in the material, (S/m) is

the material’s electrical conductivity, T (K) is the absolute temperature and (W/K·m) is

the thermal conductivity. The power factor PF (W/K2.m) is the product of the Seebeck

coefficient and the electrical conductivity: PF= S 2. Enhancing the value of ZT depends

on a bunch of factors including the material’s structure, the charge carrier concentration,

and the phonon behavior 7,8.

The objective of this dissertation is outlined in 5 chapters. Chapter 1 offers an

introduction to the thermoelectric phenomena, materials and relevant thermoelectric

transport properties and applications . Chapter 2 discusses material deposition methods

and optimization techniques used throughout the literature. Chapter 3 provides details on

the crystal orientation, crystal structure, grain size, composition ratio and temperature

effects on the thermoelectric properties for different deposition conditions and using

various heat treatment recipes. A review of an optimum deposition process for 1µm and

10µm Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 thin-films is included. Chapter 4 presents the design, fabrication

process flow and characterization of 10µm thermoelectric Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 thin film

device for micro-scale thermoelectric energy generator (µTEG) using the vertical

architecture. Chapter 5 focuses on the fabrication of a novel chip-scale commercial TEG

device using the pyramid architecture to optimize the overall performance of the device

by increasing the effective leg length and thermal resistance. It also concludes the work

and provides an overview of future work such as reliability stress testing under field

conditions such as high temperature and high humidity.

20

1.2 Thermoelectric Effect

The thermoelectric effects involve the process by which wasted heat is transformed into

electric potential or vice versa. The thermoelectric effect encompasses four separate

effects:

1.2.1 Seebeck Effect

The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference of two dissimilar

metals produce an electric voltage 2. Thomas J. Seebeck discovered this phenomenon in

1821. Figure 1.1 references a thermocouple schematic in which a circuit formed from two

dissimilar metals, a and b are connected electrically in series. He found that the voltage

produced at the junction is given by 9,

( )21 TTSV ab −= 1.1

TSV ab= 1.2

Where (T1 – T2) is the temperature gradient, T and abS is the differential Seebeck

coefficient between materials a and b, which is usually measured in volts per kelvin

( V/K ). The sign of S is positive if the electromotive force (emf) causes a current flow

in a clockwise direction around the circuit.

21

Figure 1.1: Thermocouple schematic. If the junctions of A and B are held at different

temperatures, an open circuit voltage, V is created 9

Figure 1.2 shows a demonstration on how the thermoelectric Seebeck effect works. When

heat is applied to the surface, the majority of the charged carriers (electrons and holes)

will flow from the hot side to the cold side generating a voltage drop across the device.

Figure 1.2: Demonstration of thermoelectricity using the Seebeck effect.

22

1.2.2 Peltier Effect

The Peltier effect is a phenomenon in which a potential difference applied across a

thermocouple causes a temperature difference at the junction of two dissimilar metals 3.

If the reverse situation is considered in Figure 1.1, an external potential applied across C

and D, causes a rate of heating q to occur at one junction between material a and b and

a rate of cooling - q to occur at the other junction. The amount of heat q absorbed at

the junction is given by 9,

( )Iq ba −= 1.3

Where a and b are the Peltier coefficients of material a and b. As shown in Figure 1.3,

the Peltier effect has a hot and cold side to produce a thermoelectric cooling device such

as refrigeration.

Figure 1.3: Demonstration of thermoelectricity using the Peltier effect.

23

1.2.3 Thomson Effect

The Thomson effect relates to the emission or absorption of heat q by a single current

carrying conductor exposed to a temperature difference T . The Thomson coefficient

, measured in volts per kelvin (V/K) is given by 9:

TI

q

=

. 1.4

Where q is the rate of heating or cooling and T is the temperature gradient.

1.2.4 The Kelvin Relationships

The above thermoelectric effects are related by the Kelvin relationships, which are given

by 9,10,

TS abab /= 1.4

and

TdT

dS baab −= 1.5

These relationships can be derived using irreversible thermodynamics and their validity has been

proven in thermoelectric materials and their related applications 9.

24

1.3 Thermoelectric Materials

The material used in thermoelectric devices should act as a good conductor of electricity

in order to generate the current flow, hence one of the key parameters that is used in the

classification of thermoelectric materials is the electrical conductivity ( ). As shown in

Figure 1.4, the electrical conductivity increases with an increase in charge carrier

concentration while the Seebeck coefficient decreases. The power factor (PF), the

product of the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity, is maximized at when

the carrier concentration n is between n= 1x1019/ cm3 and n= 1x1021 /cm3.

Since metals and insulators have a high and low electrical conductivity respectively,

semiconductor materials, being in the middle are well suited for thermoelectric

applications 7,9,11. Most semiconductors exhibit thermoelectricity by optimizing their

thermoelectric properties. A more meaningful measure for performance is the

dimensionless figure of merit, ZT where T is the absolute temperature. Normally the

semiconductor materials have a high carrier mobility and middle-range of carrier

concentration which signifies their ZT. Metals on the other hand have a high-range of

carrier concentration, which translates into a higher electrical conductivity but a lower

Seebeck coefficient as shown in Figure 4. Electronic thermal conductivity of metals also

increases with a temperature increase due to the high electron carrier concentration.

Hence the figure-of-merit will likely decrease above n=1x1021 3/ cm giving preference for

semiconductor materials to be used in thermometric applications.

25

Figure 1.4: Schematic showing dependence of electrical conductivity,

Seebeck coefficient, and power factor on the charge carrier concentration 9.

Commonly used thermoelectric materials are divided into different groups depending on

their performance per the temperature range as seen in Figure 1.5. Alloys such as

Bismuth Telluride (Bi2Te3) and Antimony Telluride (Sb2Te3) are reflected in this work

due to ability to work with a low temperature range under 150˚C. Lead based alloys such

as PbTe are used with an intermediate or middle temperature range (150˚C -500˚C).

Silicon germanium SiGe has a large bandgap and can operate at a much higher

temperature up to 1000 °C with application mainly in space missions 9.

26

Figure 1.5: Figure of merit ZT of common bulk materials versus temperature 12.

1.3.1 Bismuth Telluride

Bismuth Telluride (Bi2Te3) is an alloy of two metallic elements (bismuth and tellurium).

It is a narrow-gap semiconductor known as the best available thermoelastic material for

applications near room temperature. Bi2Te3 crystalizes in a layer structure with

rhombohedral-hexagonal symmetry as shown in Figure 1.6, with a space group R3m and

the lattice is stacked along the c-axis in a repeated sequence of Te-Bi-Te-Bi-Te 12.

Bismuth Telluride can be doped as either n-type material or p-type material and has been

extensively used in the construction of thermoelectric devices. It has a high Seebeck

coefficient in addition to low in-plane thermal conductivity However, one must realize

that Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity have a tradeoff: a higher Seebeck

coefficient results in decreased carrier concentration and decreased electrical

conductivity.

27

Figure 1.6: Crystal structure of Bi2Te3. Blue atoms are Bismuth (Bi),

and pink atoms are Tellurium (Te) 12.

1.3.2 Antimony Telluride

Similar to bismuth telluride, antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) is a p-type narrow-gap

semiconductor that possess a rhombohedral crystal structure with five covalently bonded

atoms (Te-Sb-Te-Sb-Te), i.e. one formula unit, per unit cell belonging to the space group

D5 3d (R3m) 13,14. The composition of Sb2Te3 can be manipulated to maximize the figure

of merit with optimal properties perpendicular to the c-axis are S= 83 μV/K, and κ =1.62

W/m-K, producing ZT=0.20 at 67% of Te 15,16.

1.4 Thermoelectric Transport Properties

Common thermoelectric properties include the Seebeck coefficient, electrical

conductivity, thermal conductivity. All of these properties contribute to the dimensionless

figure of merit, ZT.

28

1.4.1 Seebeck Coefficient

The Seebeck coefficient of a material is defined as the thermoelectric voltage produced by

a temperature difference across the material end. It is measured in volts per kelvin (V/K).

The sign of the Seebeck coefficient is dependent on the carrier charge. If the thermopower

is produced by electrons, the coefficient sign in negative. Similarly, a positive coefficient

is produced by holes17. The Seebeck coefficient can also be equated using the Mott’s

formula for a metal or degenerate-semiconductor with a parabolic band 18.

FEE

B

dE

Ed

e

TkS

=

−=

)](ln[

3

22 1.6

where, Bk is the Boltzmann constant, e is the electron charge, and T is the temperature.

The Seebeck coefficient is inversely proportional to the charge carrier concentration. This

interrelationship can be seen in another version of the Mott formula 19:

3/2

2

22

3*

3

8

=

nTm

eh

kS B

1.7

Where n is the carrier concentration, h is planks constant and *m is the effective mass.

1.4.2 Electrical Conductivity

Another key factor that influences the figure of merit ZT is the electrical conductivity .

It is a property of the material’s ability to conduct electricity via electron or holes or both.

The electrical conductivity (σ) and electrical resistivity (ρ) are related to n through the

carrier mobility µ:

29

σ = 1/ρ = neµ 1.8

Where n is the charge carrier concentration per unit volume, e is the electronic charge,

and µ is the carrier mobility. It is found that the charge carrier and mobility are functions

of temperature through resistivity and Hall measurements 1,7. Furthermore, it can be

seen from equation 1.8 that the electrical conductivity is a reflection of the charge

carrier concentration n. Figure 1.7 shows the compromise between the large Seebeck

coefficient (α) and high electrical conductivity in semiconductor materials that must be

maintained to maximize the figure of merit ZT. It is observed that the electrical

conductivity increases with increase in carrier concentration and the power factor for the

thermoelectric materials maximizes between n= 1x1019/ cm3 and n= 1x1021 cm3 20.

Figure 1.7: Seebeck coefficient (α), electrical conductivity (), thermal conductivity (),

power factor (α) and figure-of-merit (ZT) as a function of the carrier concentration 20

30

1.4.3 Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity of a material is the ability to transfer heat under a temperature

gradient either through charge carriers, vibration of lattice (phonon) or other excitation

1,17 . The thermal conductivity of a semiconductor thermoelectric material consists of two

main components: the lattice (phonon) component lattice and the charge carrier

component carrier. The sum of the two conductivities corresponds to the total thermal

conductivity T as shown in equation 1.9.

carrierlatticeT += 1.9

Most of the carrier thermal conductivity component carrier is directly related to the

electrical conductivity via the Wiedemann-Franz law 19:

TneLTLcarrier )( == 1.10

Where is the electrical conductivity, T is the temperature and L is the Lorenz factor,

normally 2.4x10-8 V2/K2 for metals. We may express the phonon thermal conductivity

lattice in terms of the specific heat C , the speed of sound v and the mean free path l of

the phonons using the relation:

3/Cvllattice = 1.11

As shown in equation 1.11, the mean free path l is inversely proportional to the number

of excited phonons in the lattice, which is also directly proportional to T . Hence the

thermal conductivity increases as the temperature decreases.

31

1.4.4 Figure of Merit (ZT)

The quality and maximum efficiency of a thermoelectric device for both thermoelectric

power generation and refrigeration (cooling) is determined is determined primarily by the

material’s figure of merit ZT . This dimensionless figure of merit is defined as 12:

TS

ZT

=

2

1.12

where S is the Seebeck coefficient, is the electrical conductivity, is the thermal

conductivity, T is the absolute temperature. The numerator 2S is referred to as the

power factor (PF). As shown in Figure 1.4, the power factor is typically optimized in

semiconductor materials with a carrier concentration around n= 1019 or 1021 3/ cm 20.

To achieve a good thermoelectric performance, materials with high mobility carriers are

also most desirable in order to obtain the highest electrical conductivity for a given

carrier concentration. In addition, low thermal conductivity and higher Seebeck is

necessary to maintain the appropriate temperature gradient and convert heat to electric

potential. Hence achieving a high ZT value is challenging, as these requirements are

contradictory to each other as shown in eq 1.12. Figure 1.8 below shows the plot of ZT

for a variety of n-type and p-type thermoelectric materials as a function of temperature 21.

32

Figure 1.8: Plot of figure-of-merit (ZT) as function of temperature (K) for

(a) n-type thermoelectric materials and (b) p-type thermoelectric materials 21.

1.5 Thin Film Material

Several thermoelectric generation and cooling applications are used from bulk material.

However, this material is best used at the chip-scale level. In recent years the industry has

pushed for small or micro-scale process, which can be best addressed by depositing thin

films onto a silicon substrate surface. Thin-film material requires small geometries,

which are later diced and packaged. Thermoelectric bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and

antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) materials have received significant interest for thin-film

deposition due to their compatibility with Integrated Circuit (IC) CMOS-based

technology and deposition onto silicon substrate 22.

33

1.6 Applications

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are solid-state devices that have the benefit of no

moving parts and therefore offer maintenance free operation for long duration. Various

thermoelectric applications primarily from the bulk materials have been used in the

industry. For the past four decades TEGs have reliability provided power for deep space

probes such as Voyager I and Voyager II 20. Over the past few years the efficiency of the

thermoelectric devices has increased and promoted the use of thermoelectric materials in

chip-scale projects such as heat-pipe 23 , internet-of-things (IoT), wireless sensors, and

wearable applications 6,24. In addition, chip-scale TEG devices are available

commercially. Micropelt TGP-651 series uses a thin-film solid state solid state generators

in a standard package 25 . Device uncapping show the Micropelt small-scale device is

based on sputtered Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 active material including many leg pairs as shown

in Figure 1.9.

Figure 1.9: (a) Micropelt Thermogenerator TPG device, (b) High magnification

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of internal device post device uncapping

and (c) EDX layered image showing the active TE material are Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3.

34

Chapter 2. Material Deposition and Optimization

In this chapter we discuss several deposition methods and optimization techniques

for n-type Bi2Te3 and p-type Sb2Te3 thermoelectric materials.

2.1 Background

Integrating thin film thermoelectric material into microsystems depends on the deposition

method, which is critical for the device operation. Thermoelectric thin films have been

prepared using a variety of technique using the physical deposition process and chemical

deposition process. These different preparation techniques are shown in Figure 2.1. The

physical deposition process encompasses a wide-range of methods where the material

goes to a vapor phase and then back to a thin-film condensed phase. This process

involves the physical ejection of material as atoms or molecules followed by the

condensation of these atoms onto substrate 26. The techniques used by physical processes

include thermal evaporation 27,28, sputtering 29–31, pulsed laser deposition 32, molecular

beam epitaxy 33–35. Additional thin-film preparation methods use the chemical deposition

process such as Metal- Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition 36 and electro-chemical

deposition 37. There are several advantages of physical process over electrodeposition or

CVD. These include 26:

• High versatility in depositing any metal, alloys and some polymeric materials

• Ability to vary the substrate temperature from subzero to very high temperatures

• Excellent bonding to the substrate

35

Figure 2.1: Typical representation of thermoelectric deposition methods 38.

2.1.1 Sputtering

Sputtering is one of the most common commercial thin film deposition technique for

various materials. It is used extensively in the semiconductor industry due to its stable

and reproducible process and sputtering efficiency 38. Sputtering utilizes magnetic and

electric fields to trap electrons to the surface of the target. Figure 2.2 presents a schematic

representation of the sputtering system. The sputtering process begins by placing a

substrate (i.e. target) in the chamber. A controlled flow of sputtering gas, typically Argon

(Ar) gas is introduced into the chamber under high vacuum (20-150 mTorr) and a high

(negative) DC bias is applied to the target material (also called the cathode) causing the

plasma to glow. Free moving electrons caused by the negatively charged voltage collide

with the argon gas atoms causing the atoms to become positively charged ions attracted

to the negatively charged target at high speed that eject the particles from the source

36

material target and get deposited as a thin material on the top of the substrate surface

after passing into the vapor phase to form a dense film. There are many different

sputtering methods under the physical vapor deposition (PVD) process 26,38. These

include:

Magnetron Sputtering

Ion Beam Sputtering

Radio Frequency Sputtering

Direct Current Sputtering

Figure 2.2: Schematic of the Sputtering deposition process 39.

2.1.2 Thermal Evaporation

Thermal evaporation is one of the simplest forms of the Physical Vapor Deposition

(PVD). It is performed by heating the target material at very high temperatures around

37

1500°C via the joule effect to evaporate a source material within the chamber 40. This

material rises in the chamber, coating the target with a thin film. Figure 2.3 shows a

schematic representation of the evaporation system. Thermal evaporation is similar to the

molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) process because the deposition requires the thermal

energy to be used to produce the vapor of the source materials. Key advantages of

thermal evaporation include simplicity to use, high deposition rates, and relatively lower

cost of the equipment. However, thermal evaporation is not suitable for fabricating

multicomponent thin-films as some bulk materials evaporate before others due to their

different melting points.

Figure 2.3: Schematic of an evaporation deposition system 40.

2.1.3 Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) is an epitaxy technique for thin-film deposition for

single crystalline materials. Epitaxy refers to the controlled growth of one crystalline

layer on another crystalline layer 41. MBE involves building up materials by manipulating

38

atoms and molecules with a heated crystalline substrate, performed in an ultra-high

vacuum (UHV) environment (~10-10 Torr). Molecular beam epitaxy process is the most

reliable deposition process in thermal evaporation. The slow deposition rate and the ultra-

high vacuum allows for the film to grow in an epitaxial manner. However, to obtain a

pure film using MBE it is necessary to maintain a very low pressure which is difficult. In

addition, MBE is very expensive compared to other deposition processes. Bi2Te3 and

Sb2Te3 thin-films deposited using MBE yielded a Seebeck coefficient of 159–184 μV/K

and a power factor of 1.6 mW/K2.m 42.

2.1.4 Chemical Vapor Deposition

CVD is a processes where solid material is deposited from a vapor by a chemical reaction

on a heated substrate surface. The resulting solid material is in the form of a thin-film or

crystal. By varying the deposition conditions, including substrate temperature,

composition of the reaction mixture and gas flow, materials with a wide range of

physical, and chemical properties can be grown 26. There are varieties of CVD processes.

Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) is one of the techniques used for

growing high quality Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 thin-film thermoelectric materials 36 . However,

the gases used in this process are toxic and require additional safety procedures, making

the MOCVD deposition process quite expensive.

39

2.2 Optimization Methods

Efficiency of thermoelectric material is critical for a wide range of practical applications.

Various techniques are presented below to help improve the efficienty of the material, by

reducing the thermal conductivity in the materials, which is later used in the literature to

develop a chip-scale thermoelectric generator for internet-of-things (IoT) and wearable

applications near room temperature.

2.2.1 Doping

Doping is a process that intentionally alters the electrical properties of the material. This

is done by adding impurities to the atomic structure of the material to change its intrinsic

(undoped) behavior. The carrier concentration of the material can be changed using

dopants. However as shown in Figure 1.7, the electrical conductivity of the material will

increase with an increase in the carrier concentration which results in a decrease in the

Seebeck coefficient and overall power factor.

2.2.2 Co-Sputtering

Co-sputtering is a deposition method where two or more source target materials (such as

Bi/Sb and Te or Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 and Te) are sputtered at once in a vacuum chamber and is

often used with a sputtering tool to produce high quality thin-films 39. This method is

used extensively in the literature to enhance the thermoelectric properties of bismuth-

telluride and antimony-telluride thermoelectric materials 29,43,44.

40

2.2.3 Alloying

Alloying is one of the easiet methods to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity without

degreadation to the electrical conductivity 45,46. It is used to improve efficiency of

thermoeletic material by adding an element to the material. Bismuth can be alloyed with

Antimony to yield higher mobility and reduce the thermal conductivity, thus leading to

enhanced the figure of merit , ZT. Alloying bismuth with antimony was also found to

give greater flexibility in tailoring the properties of bismuth-related nanowires for

specific thermoelectric applications 9.

2.2.4 Nanomaterials

Several methods to improve the figure-of-merit ZT can be made by reducing the lattice

contribution to the thermal conductivity. In bulk thermoelectric materials, alloying is

introduced to substitute lattice sites with different atoms but from the same grouping in

the periodic table to help scatter short wave phonons than electrons 46. By utilizing

thermoelectric material at the nanoscale level and allowing for the re-optimization of the

carrier concentration 20, the lattice thermal conductivity is reduced by exploiting different

nanostructures with the goal of harnessing phonon scattering while leaving electronic

properties unaffected 46. Ideally thermoelectric nanomaterials disrupt the phonons,

reducing their mean-free path without affecting the electrons which have shorter mean

free paths 47. Several methods for producing thermoelectric nanomaterials have been

utilized 48 .

41

2.2.5 Grain Boundaries

Another method for improving ZT is by reducing the lattice thermal conductivity. Simply

by reducing the grain size the lattice thermal conductivity is reduced and substantial

improvements in ZT have been observed 49. However decreasing grain size will decrease

electrical conductivity and ultimately the power factor as shown in Figure 1.7.

Figure 2.4: Large grain with less grain boundaries (left image) verses small grain

structure with more grain boundaries (right image)49.

2.3 Annealing

Annealing is a heat treamtment process used mostly to enhance the propeteries of a

material by alterning its physical properties to increase ductility and reduce hardness.

This change in ductility is due to the reduction of dislocations in the crystal structure 50.

During the annealing process, the atoms migrate in the crystal lattice and help increase

the grain size which increases the electrical conductivity as the charged carriers move

42

more freely. There are three main stages that causes microstructural changes during the

annealing process.

The first stage is recovery and it results in the removal of defects in the material, also

known as dislocations, which causes internal stress. This step occurs at the lower

temperature stage of the annealing process prior to the growth of new grains 51. The

second stage is recrystallization, where the new grown grains replace those deformed

grains observed in the first stage 51. The final stage is grain growth, which occurs once

the material is cooled for long duration. In grain growth stage, the microstructure of the

material is hardened and allows for faster electrical response but may lose some of its

original strength 51.

43

Chapter 3. Thermoelectric Film Depositions –

Experimental Procedure

In this chapter, we report on an optimum deposition process for 1µm and 10µm bismuth

telluride (Bi2Te3) and antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) thin films via RF magnetron sputtering

techniques on SiO2/Si substrates. The thin-film material and thermoelectric properties are

characterized for different deposition conditions and using various heat treatment recipes.

The crystal orientation is obtained using an X-ray diffraction (XRD) tool and compared to

known diffractions peaks of the same crystal material. The crystal structure and grain size

of the sputtered films are obtained via a high-resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy

(SEM) analysis for top-surface and cross-section imaging of the films. An ultra-thin layer

of platinum is deposited over the thermoelectric films to reduce the electric charge that

builds up over the top surface. The thermoelectric properties are analyzed using a Seebeck

tool and Hall measurement tool to obtain the electrical conductivity, carrier concentration

and mobility. The power factor (PF), measured in watts per meter-square Kelvin (W/K2.m),

is also recorded. The physical vapor deposition (PVD) system, which is the main tool

used in the literature for thin-film deposition is introduced in detail.

44

3.1 Background

Thin films thermoelectric materials are most suitable for micro-scale applications.

Sputtering technique is used extensively to deposit thin films. Thermoelectric n-type

bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) films and p-type antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) films are grown

on SiO2/Si substrates via RF magnetron sputtering. The crystal structures and

thermoelectric properties are characterized for 1µm and 10µm films deposited using

different deposition conditions and using various heat treatment conditions. In this work

we demonstrate an optimum deposition process for 1µm and 10µm Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3

thin films via RF magnetron sputtering.

The performance of thermoelectric materials can be evaluated using the figure of merit,

ZT, or power factor, PF. The figure of merit is defined as: ZT = (S2 T) / where S (V/K)

is the Seebeck coefficient, a measure of a generated thermoelectric voltage in response to

a temperature gradient in the material, (S/m) is the material’s electrical conductivity, T

(K) is the absolute temperature and (W/K·m) is the thermal conductivity. The power

factor PF (W/K2.m) is the product of the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical

conductivity: PF= S 2.

Earlier studies based on bulk thermoelectric materials show a high thermoelectric figure of

merit (ZT~1.14) at room temperature 29. However, the fabrication of microscale

thermoelectric generators (μTEG) using thin-film technology is critical for IoT and

wearable applications 6. Thermoelectric bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and antimony telluride

45

(Sb2Te3) thin films have been prepared using a variety of techniques, such as thermal

evaporation 27,28, sputtering 29–31, pulsed laser deposition 32, molecular beam epitaxy 33–35,

chemical deposition such as Metal- Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) 36 and

electro-chemical deposition 37. A comparison summary of the deposition methods for

Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 is shown in Table 3.1 below:

Author Deposition

Method

N-type

Material

P-type

Material

ΔT Output

Power

Ping Fan 52 Sputtering Bi2Te3 Sb2Te3 85 K 19.13 μW

Ingo Stark 53 Sputtering Bi2Te3 Sb2Te3 60 K 203 μW

Wei Wang 54 Electrodeposition Bi2Te3 Sb2Te3 20 K 77 μW

Table 3.1: Chip-scale thermoelectrics in the literatures based on Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3.

The magnetron sputtering method is the most common commercial thin film deposition

technique due to its stable and reproducible process and sputtering efficiency. The effects

of deposition temperature or post-annealing on the thermoelectric properties of bismuth

telluride have been reported and discussed previously 55–57,43,58. Kim et al. fabricated

400nm bismuth telluride films by co-sputtering and obtained -55µV/K and ~3 × 10-4

W/K2·m for Seebeck coefficient and power factor, respectively, with a deposition

temperature of 225ºC 29. Subsequently, they demonstrated thicker (1µm) bismuth telluride

with maximum values of S (-128µV/K) and power factor (9 × 10-4 W/K2.m) using co-

sputtering followed by a rapid thermal annealing process 55. Wang et al. coated 400nm

bismuth telluride films using the same approach and investigated the effects of normal

annealing temperature. They achieved -242µV/K for Seebeck coefficient and 2.1

mW/K2.m for the power factor 43 .

46

3.2 Sputtering of Thin Films

High quality thermoelectric thin films are deposited using magnetron sputtering

techniques via the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) system. Figure 2.2 shows a

schematic representation of the sputtering system. The magnetron sputtering system used

for the thin-film deposition work is manufactured by AJA International and shown in

Figure 3.1. The PVD consists of a main load chamber and a cryopump which maintains a

very low pressure below several mTorr . An ultra-high purity sputtering gas such as

Argon (Ar) or Nitrogen (N2) is provided during depositions. The sputtering tool is

equipped with 6 sputtering sources including 4 DC guns and 2 RF guns. Two (2) inch

diameter targets that can be operated independently or together are used for various

depositions throughout the literature. The tool also offers sample rotation to enable high

uniformity and high temperature capability which can heat the sample up to 1000°C for

high quality crystal material.

Figure 3.1: Physical Vapor Deposition system, manufactured by AJA International.

47

3.3 X-ray Diffraction

X-ray diffraction is used to analyze the crystal structure and phase analysis of the

thermoelectric materials used in the literature. This method is based on Bragg’s

diffraction law and is used with commercial software to aid with the analysis. A Philips

X’Pert materials research diffractometer (MRD) is used to do the XRD measurements.

Figure 3.2: Philips X’Pert materials X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Tool 59.

3.3.1 Bragg’s Law

Bragg’s law refers to the simple equation shown in equation 3.1.

nλ = 2d sin θ 3.1

θ is the angle between the incident x-ray and scatter plane. The concept of Bragg

diffraction is shown in Figure 3.3.

48

Figure 3.3: Concept of Bragg’s diffraction law 60.

XRD follows Bragg's law in that the reflected X-rays from the different crystal layers

either undergo constructive or destructive interference. Destructive interference occurs is

the x-ray waves are out of alignment, causing the signal to be destroyed. Constructive

interference takes place when the x-ray waves are in alignment. This amplifies the signal

and causes high intensity peaks in the spectrum 61.

49

3.4 Experimental Details

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) films are deposited using a

physical vapor deposition (PVD) system by RF magnetron sputtering. A high purity

Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 targets with a diameter of 2 inches is used first as the source material

for single target deposition for n-type and p-type films respectively. A tellurium (Te)

target is added for two-target co-sputtering to optimize Bi2Te3 thin film composites and

textures. The schematic diagram of the setup is shown in Figure 3.4 and Figure 3.5. Films

are deposited on (100) silicon substrates with a thermally grown silicon-dioxide layer

(500 nm) for electrical isolation purposes. The distance between the targets and the

substrate is fixed at 20 cm and the substrates are rotated at a rate of 100 rpm for uniform

film deposition. The base pressure of the deposition chamber is below 10-7 Torr in order

to remove residual gas particles. Argon (Ar) sputtering gas is subsequently introduced

with a 4 sccm flow to achieve a pressure of 3x10-3 Torr.

Figure 3.4: Schematic for single target sputtering.

The same method is applicable to p-type film.

50

Figure 3.5: Schematic for two target co-sputtering.

A separate tellurium (Te) target is added for co-sputtering deposition.

Bismuth telluride films from a single target are deposited with a fixed power of 60W and

90W. Co-sputtering of bismuth telluride films are obtained using 60W and 90W of power

applied to the fixed Bi2Te3 target and varying the power from 10W to 20W on the Te

target. Single target deposited antimony telluride films are prepared using 60W of power.

Higher temperature n-type depositions are carried out for single target sputtering. The

temperature is varied from 150°C to 350°C and is controlled by a resistive graphite

heater, lying beneath the substrate holder. The post annealing process of room-

temperature deposited films is performed at 250°C with different anneal times; 30 mins,

1 hour, and 2 hours.

51

Step height of the deposited layer is measured with a surface profiler. In this paper, the

process is developed for 1μm and 10μm thin films, and the latter one is employed for the

final thermoelectric device fabrication. Surface morphology of bismuth telluride and

antimony telluride films is observed with a field emission scanning electron microscopy

(SEM, FEI Quanta 600F) operating at 10kV and 10mm working distance and energy

dispersive X-ray (EDX, Oxford X-max 80) is used to measure the elemental composition.

Crystallinity is characterized using an X-ray diffraction system (Philips, X'pert Pro) in the

conventional θ−2θ mode by the use of the Cu Kα1 line for the X-ray source.

Thermoelectric properties are measured using an Ecopia HMS-3000 Hall measurement

system while the Seebeck coefficient measurement is based on a 4-probe differential

measurement technique as shown in Figure 3.6.

Figure 3.6: Four probe measurement technique for Seebeck coefficient in an enclosed

case.

52

3.4.1 Seebeck and Hall Measurements

Seebeck measurements (volts per kelvin) are obtained when there is a temperature

gradient across a material. Using the four-probe measurement setup shown in Figure 3.6,

the voltage is obtained per the temperature difference and the Seebeck coefficient is

obtained using the slope of the graph as shown in Figure 3.7. Hall measurements such as

bulk concentration, mobility and conductivity are also averaged and recoded.

Figure 3.7: Representative graph for obtaining Seebeck coefficient and Hall

measurements.

Average Average -82.7

Bulk Concentration (cm-3

) -2.65E+20

Mobility (cm2 / Vs) 1.32E+01

Resistivity (Ω cm) 1.79E-03

Conductivity (Ω-1

cm-1

) 5.57E+02

Nb u rho RH RHA RHB NS SIGMA DELTA ALPHA

1mA -2.49E+20 1.40E+01 1.80E-03 -2.51E-02 -2.45E-02 -2.56E-02 -2.49E+16 5.57E+02 1.38E-02 8.56E-01

5mA -2.719E+20 12.75 0.0018 -0.02295 -0.02294 -0.02297 -2.719E+16 555.6 0.01267 0.8563

10mA -2.733E+20 12.77 0.001789 -0.02284 -0.02262 -0.02305 -2.733E+16 559 0.01261 0.8562

Average -2.65E+20 1.32E+01 1.79E-03 -2.36E-02 -2.34E-02 -2.39E-02 -2.65E+16 5.57E+02 1.30E-02 8.56E-01

Hall Data Seebeck

Power Factor

3.808E-04

Hall Data

53

3.5 Thin-Film Deposition and Characterization

In this section, the thin-film depositions and characterization are presented for the

thermoelectric n-type Bi2Te3 and p-type Sb2Te3 films using various deposition conditions

and heat treatments.

3.5.1 High Temperature Sputtering of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 Films

High temperature deposition highlights different sputtering and crystal characterization

techniques for Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 films using different methods for optimum temperature

and composition.

3.5.1.1 Single Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films

Bismuth telluride films are deposited via single-target sputtering for a range of substrate

temperatures between 25°C and 350°C. The target thickness for these depositions is 1µm

as shown in Figure 3.8. SEM images of the top surface of the deposited films are shown

in Figure 3.9. The room temperature film shows relatively small grain size (~75nm -

200nm) and a very smooth surface. The grain size increases with increasing deposition

temperature, with the average grain as large as ~2µm for the film deposited at 350°C.

Figure 3.8: Cross-section image of the single target sputtered films.

54

Figure 3.9: SEM image of Bi2Te3 films deposited using single-sputtered target at:

(a) 25°C; (b) 150°C; (c) 200°C; (d) 250°C; (e) 300°C; and (f) 350°C.

X-ray diffraction patterns collected for these films are shown in Figure 3.10. The XRD

spectrum taken for the room temperature film indicates a polycrystalline Bi2Te3 film with

small grains (supported by SEM analysis) and no preferential alignment. With an increase

in deposition temperature, surface diffusion of adatoms is enhanced and the temperature

55

helps the film eliminate defects and improves crystallization 29, resulting in larger and

narrower XRD peaks. For deposition temperatures above 150°C, additional peaks start to

appear. Some of these (e.g. (1 1 0), (2 0 5)) can be attributed to stoichiometric Bi2Te3. The

broad peaks close to 2=18° and 45°, however, likely indicate of presence of multiple Te-

deficient phases. A similar right-shift of the (0 0 6) and (0 0 15) Bi2Te3 peaks has been

reported previously for the Te-deficient phases that make up the (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n series 62.

Figure 3.10: XRD spectra taken from bismuth telluride films deposited at temperatures

between 25°C and 350°C. Bi2Te3 peaks are labeled, with vertical dashed lines marking

the locations of Bi2Te3 (0 0 3) and (0 0 9) peaks.

Deviation from stoichiometry (Bi:Te = 2:3) is confirmed via EDX in Figure 3.11. As the

deposition temperature increases, tellurium (Te) evaporates from the film and the Bi:Te

ratio increases from values close to that of stoichiometric Bi2Te3 (0.67) up to nearly 1.

56

Figure 3.11: Elemental composition (EDX) atomic ratio of Bi to Te for single-

target sputtered n-type films, as a function of deposition temperature (°C).

The measured thermoelectric properties of the films are shown as a function of deposition

temperature in Figures 3.12. The room temperature film has the lowest measured mobility

(< 7 cm2/V-s) and a relatively high carrier concentration, which is consistent with a Bi2Te3

film with small grains and a large number of grain boundary defects. The highest (negative

for n-type film) Seebeck coefficient of -55 µV/K is achieved with a deposition temperature

of 150°C resulting in a power factor of 0.65 mW/K2.m. This film also exhibits the lowest

carrier concentration of ~6.5 x 1020/cm3, indicating a better grain structure than the room

temperature film. The higher temperature depositions, which contain Te-deficient phases

in addition to Bi2Te3, exhibit poor thermoelectric properties in addition to higher carrier

concentration and lower Seebeck coefficient.

57


Coefficient and (c) Power factor of n-type single sputtered films as a function of the

deposition temperature.

While the results indicate that 150°C is the optimal temperature for sputtering from a single

Bi2Te3 target, the properties of the 150°C film still fall short of what is expected from the

literature 57. The atomic Bi:Te ratio for this film (0.75) differs from the ideal stoichiometric

value (Bi:Te = 2:3), indicating loss of Te during deposition despite the relatively low

substrate temperature.

58

3.5.1.2 Co-sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films @ 60W

Based on the low tellurium (Te) contents and weak thermoelectric performance measured

for single-sputtered Bi2Te3 films, the co-sputtering of Te in addition to Bi2Te3 is explored.

Co-sputtered depositions are performed at 150°C, with the sputtering power for the

Bi2Te3 target set at 60W and the power to the Te target varied from 10W to 20W. Top-

surface SEM images of these films are shown in Figure 3.13. The grain size increases

with increasing power to the tellurium target. The average grain size is as large as

~500nm when deposited with 10W of power and ~1µm for 20W.

Figure 3.13: SEM image of films deposited at 150°C by (a) single sputtering, (b) co-

sputtering with 10W power to Te target, (c) 15W to Te target and (d) 20W to Te target.

59

XRD spectra collected from these co-sputtered Bi2Te3 films are shown in Figure 3.14 and

are compared with the spectrum taken from a single-sputtered Bi2Te3 film. The co-

sputtered films show more c-axis texturing, with significantly larger intensities of the (0 0

l) family peaks (marked by dashed vertical lines in Figure 3.14) than the single-sputtered

film. Also, there is no indication of the presence of Te-deficient phases as seen in higher

temperature single-sputtered depositions. While 10W and 15W Te sputtering power yield

similar spectra, additional peaks appear for the case of the 20W depositions indicating the

possible presence of a separate Te phase. This is supported by elemental composition

measurements, shown in Figure 3.15. A Te sputtering power of 10W and 15W yields a film

close to stoichiometry, while the 20W results in excess Te and a Bi:Te ratio < 0.5.

Figure 3.14: XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered Bi2Te3 deposited with a range of

Te powers. Bi2Te3 peaks are labeled, with vertical dashed lines marking (0 0 l)

peaks. The asterisks indicate secondary peaks attributed to a separate Te phase;

60

Figure 3.15: Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a function of Te sputtering power for co-

sputtered films.

3.5.1.3 Co-Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films @ 90W

Additional co-sputtered depositions using a higher power of 90W for the Bi2Te3 target is

attempted at 150°C, using three additional studies to determine the optimum sputtering

power for the Bi2Te3 and Te target. The first study uses a fixed sputtering power of 90W

for the Bi2Te3 target and vary the power to the Te target from 0 to 20W. Top-surface SEM

images of these films are shown in Fig. 3.16. Cross-section SEM images of the 1µm films

are shown in Figure 3.17. As shown via SEM analysis, the grain size increases with

increasing tellurium power, but the grain size remained smaller compared to the films

deposited using 60W of power, with the average grain ~300nm for the 10W film and as

large as ~400nm using 15W film.

61

Figure 3.16: SEM of films deposited at 150°C using 90W of power for Bi2Te3 by (a)

single sputtering, (b) co-sputtering with 10W to Te target, (c) 15W Te and (d) 20W Te.

Figure 3.17: Cross-section SEM image for (a) single sputtering film, (b) co-sputtered

with 10W of Te, (c) co-sputtered with 15W of Te and (d) co-sputtered with 20W of Te.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

62

XRD spectra collected from the co-sputtered Bi2Te3 films deposited at 90W are shown in

Figure 3.18(a) and are compared with the spectrum taken from the single-sputtered Bi2Te3

film. The co-sputtered films show no indication of Te-deficient phases as seen in the higher

temperature single-sputtered depositions. while the 10W film yields a film close to

stoichiometry, the 20W film show additional peaks that may indicate the presence of a

separate Te phase. This is supported by elemental composition measurements (EDX),

shown in Figure 3.18(b). A Te sputtering power of 15W and 20W results in excess Te and

a Bi:Te ratio under 0.5.

Figure 3.18: (a) XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered Bi2Te3 films deposited at 90W with a

range of Te powers. (b) Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a function of the Te sputtering power.

Measured thermoelectric properties for these films are shown as a function of Te sputtering

power in Figure 3.19. As the tellurium power is increased, co-sputtered depositions at

150°C using 10W Te target show an enhanced Seebeck coefficient of -78 µV/K compared

to the single sputtered film resulting in a power factor of 0.475 mW/K2.m The highest

Seebeck coefficient of -91 µV/K is obtained using the 15W Te target, but lower power

factor of 0.34 mW/K2.m due to lower electrical conductivity and lower mobility. Although

the Seebeck coefficient is higher in both co-sputtered films, the power factor is low due to

the higher resistivity of the films.

63


Coefficient and (c) Power factor of co-sputtered films as a function of Te power.

3.5.1.4 Co-Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films – Vary Bi2Te3 Power

The second study uses a fixed sputtering power of 10W for the Te target and varied the

power to the Bi2Te3 target from 65W to 85W. Top-surface SEM images of these films are

shown in Figure 3.20 and cross-section images are shown in Figure 3.21 showing an

average thickness of ~1µm . The grain size varied from 150nm to 300nm for the 85W

Bi2Te3 film. The grain size for the 90W Bi2Te3 target averaged ~350nm.

64

Figure 3.20: SEM image of films deposited at 150°C with 10W Te by (a) co-sputtering

with 65W power to Bi2Te3 target, (b)75W, (c) 80W, and (d) 85W.

Figure 3.21: Cross- section SEM image of (a) 65W Bi2Te3,

(b) 75W Bi2Te3, (c) 80W Bi2Te3 and (d) 85W Bi2Te3 power.

XRD spectra collected from these co-sputtered Bi2Te3 films are shown in Figure 3.22(a)

and are compared with the spectrum taken at 90W for the co-sputtered Bi2Te3 film. The

films show no indication of Te-deficient phases as seen in higher temperature single-

sputtered depositions. Elemental composition analysis, shown in Figure 3.22(b), confirmed

the 85W target yields a film close to ideal stoichiometry (0.667).

(b)

(d) (c)

(a)

65

Figure 3.22: (a) XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered films deposited with a range of

Bi2Te3 powers. (b) Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a function of Bi2Te3 sputtering power.

Measured thermoelectric properties for these films are shown as a function of Bi2Te3

sputtering power in Figure 3.23. Co-sputtered depositions for the 80W Bi2Te3 target yield

the highest Seebeck coefficient of -98.5 µV/K and the lowest power factor of 0.237

mW/K2, while the 85W film produced the lowest Seebeck coefficient of -69.9 µV/K and

the highest power factor of 0.382 mW/K2 in addition to highest mobility due to ideal

stoichiometry composition as shown in Figure 3.22(b). It can be observed that lower

mobility in these films lowered the electrical conductivity, hence reducing the overall

power factor, PF.


Coefficient and (c) Power factor of co-sputtered films as function of Bi2Te3 power.

66

3.5.1.5 Co-Sputtering of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films – Vary Temperature

The final study uses a combination of fixed sputtering 90W of power for the Bi2Te3 target

and fixed 10W of power for the Te target while varying the temperature rate. Top-down

SEM images of these films are shown in Figure 3.24 and cross-section images are shown

in Figure 3.25. The grain size varied from 350nm to 450nm for the films deposited at

150°C and 200°C while the grain size for the 90W Bi2Te3 target averaged ~350nm.

Figure 3.24: SEM images of co-sputtered films deposited with 90W of Bi2Te3 and 10W

of Te at various temperatures (a) 25°C, (b) 150°C, (c) 200°C, and (d) 250°C.

Figure 3.25: Cross- section SEM image of films deposited at various temperatures

(a) 25°C, (b) 150°C, (c) 200°C, and (d) 250°C.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

67

XRD spectra collected from these co-sputtered films with fixed 90W for the Bi2Te3 target

and fixed 10W for the Te target are shown in Figure 3.26(a). As shown previously, the

room temperature film shows smooth surface and no crystallization. The 10W and 15W

films show no indication of Te-deficient phases as seen in higher temperature single-

sputtered depositions. However, EDX analysis as shown in Figure 3.26(b) show the 150°C

and 200°C films deviate away from ideal stoichiometry.

Figure 3.26: (a) XRD spectra taken for co-sputtered films deposited with a fixed Bi2Te3

power and fixed Te power while varying temperature. (b) Atomic ratio Bi:Te ratio as a

function of deposition temperature using fixed Bi2Te3 powers and fixed Te power.

Measured thermoelectric properties for these films are shown as a function of temperature

using a fixed 90W for the Bi2Te3 target and fixed 10W for the Te target are shown in Figure

3.27. Co-sputtered depositions at +200°C yielded the highest Seebeck coefficient of -89.7

µV/K and the highest power factor of 0.533 mW/K2.m. The film deposited at +250°C has

the highest mobility among the rest of the films and Seebeck of -87.6 µV/K. However, it

can be observed from the SEM analysis, the higher temperature films resulted in a different

type of grain structure, also supported by XRD analysis in Figure 3.26(a).

68

Figure 3.27: Transport properties using fixed Bi2Te3 power and fixed Te power while

varying temperature (a) Carrier concentration and mobility; (b) conductivity and Seebeck

Coefficient and (c) Power factor of co-sputtered films as function of Bi2Te3 power.

3.5.2 Summary of High Temperature Deposition of 1µm Bi2Te3 Films

To summarize this section, high temperature depositions are initially attempted using the

single-target deposition process of 1µm n-type Bi2Te3 films. While these deposition

results indicate that 150°C is the optimal temperature for sputtering, the dispositions

result in a tellurium Te-deficient of stoichiometric films due to the evaporation of

tellurium. Consequently, high temperature two-target co-sputtered deposition is

introduced to overcome the Te deficiency using the following conditions:

• Vary Te power from 10W to 20W and maintain a fixed 60W to Bi2Te3 target.

• Vary Te power from 10W to 20W and maintain a fixed 90W to Bi2Te3 target.

• Vary Bi2Te3 power from 60W to 90W and maintain a fixed 10W to Te target.

• Vary temperature and maintain a fixed 90W to Bi2Te3 and 10W to Te targets.

Based on the material analysis and characterization of the co-sputtered films, the two-

target co-sputtered deposition recipe using a fixed 60W power for the Bi2Te3 target and

10W for the Te target is chosen to deposit a thicker 10µm film to use with the micro-

scale thermoelectric energy harvester (µTEG) device.

69

3.5.3 Sputtering of 1µm Sb2Te3 Films

Given that 150°C is the optimal temperature for n-type depositions, p-type antimony

telluride (Sb2Te3) films are deposited at room temperature and 150°C using the single

sputtering process with the Sb2Te3 target set at 60W and co-sputtered process with the Te

target set at 10W in addition to the 60W power for the Sb2Te3 target. The resulting surface

structure of the synthesized films are shown in Figure 3.28. SEM analysis of the room-

temperature film shows a very smooth surface and no crystal grains. However, at 150°C

the films show higher crystalline quality and larger grains of ~500nm are observed due to

the diffusion of atoms.

Figure 3.28: SEM of p-type deposited at (a) room temperature and

150°C by (b) single sputtering and (c) co-sputtering.

70

XRD pattern analysis indicate that both 150°C films are matched as shown in Figure 3.29.

The films are well crystallized, and the structural properties are improved using the higher

substrate temperature. Both films are of rhombohedral structure that belongs to antimony

telluride and indicate no presence of a Te-deficient phase as supported by elemental

composition analysis (Sb:Te ratio is 0.65 for single sputtered film and 0.68 for the co-

sputtered film).

Figure 3.29: XRD spectra taken for single target sputtered and co-sputtered Sb2Te3 deposited at

150°C.

71

3.5.4 Room Temperature Sputtering and Annealing of Films

Fabrication of thermoelectric devices typically requires thicker films (~10µm) to achieve

optimal leg lengths and device thermoelectric resistances. Using the 150°C two-target co-

sputtering deposition recipe for n-type and single sputtering recipe for p-type as described

in the literature, 10µm thick Bi2Te3 film is attempted initially. However, due to stress in

the film, the material delaminated/peeled off and could not be further analyzed.

To achieve thick films with excellent thermoelectric properties and increased

crystallization, room temperature of 10µm deposition for n-type film followed by high

temperature annealing is investigated using various conditions. Optical inspection analysis

as shown in Figures 3.30 through Figures 3.24 post the anneal process revealed a

combination or oxidation, pitting and excessive delamination.

Figure 3.30: Annealed n-type film for 30min @250°C with 90min ramp up/ramp down,

30 PSI

72

Figure 3.31: Annealed n-type film for 30 mins @250°C with 30min ramp up/ramp down,

50 PSI.

Figure 3.32: Annealed n-type film for 30 mins @300°C with 2.5hrs ramp up/ramp down,

30 PSI.

Figure 3.33: Annealed n-type film for 14 hrs. @225°C with 80min ramp up/ramp down,

30 PSI.

73

To overcome this issue, a high temperature anneal is performed at 250°C for 30 minutes,

1 hour and 2 hours under nitrogen gas to prevent oxidation for both the n-type and p-type

films after each wafer is fabricated. SEM images of the annealed n-type films are shown

in Figure 3.34. While the non-annealed room temperature film shows small grains and

no crystallization phase, the annealed films show crystal growth resulting in larger grains

and an increase in mobility carriers. As shown in table 3.2, when the carrier concentration

for Bi2Te3 film decreases to 9.5x1019 with the annealing temperature increasing to

+250°C, the Seebeck coefficient increase. This is supported by equation 1.7 where the

Seebeck coefficient strongly depends on the charge carrier concentration 43. The highest

(most negative) Seebeck coefficient is obtained for n-type film using 30 minutes anneal

as -123 μV/K. These results correspond to a power factor (PF) of 0.829mW/K2.m.

Similarly, for p-type films, the best Seebeck coefficient and power factor are obtained

using 1hour anneal as +106 μV/K and 0.850mW/K2.m, respectively. The measured

thermoelectric properties are summarized in Table 3.2.

74

Figure 3.34: SEM image of room temp co-sputtered 10µm n-type films using: (a) no

anneal; (b) 30 mins anneal; (c) 1hr anneal; and (d) 2hr anneal.

Sample Anneal Anneal °C ρ (Ω-cm) S (μV/K) PF(mW/K2.m) CC (cm-3) μ (cm2/V-s)

Bi2Te3-sample 1 0hr 0 8.25E-04 -55.00 0.367 1.10E+21 6.85

Bi2Te3-sample 2 0.5hr 250 1.82E-03 -123 0.829 9.5E+19 36.1

Bi2Te3-sample 3 1hr 250 1.46E-03 -96 0.630 1.61E+20 26.74

Bi2Te3-sample 4 2hr 250 1.81E-03 -114 0.719 1.18E+20 29.43

Sb2Te3-sample 1 0hr 0 8.66E-01 +447 0.0231 4.67E+19 0.17

Sb2Te3-sample 2 0.5hr 250 1.61E-03 +92 0.528 1.52E+20 32.20

Sb2Te3-sample 3 1hr 250 1.31E-03 +106 0.850 1.22E+20 42.80

Sb2Te3-sample 3 2hr 250 9.80E-04 +118 0.141 8.92E+19 71.70

Table 3.2: Thermoelectric, deposition of 10µm n-type and p-type films plus anneal.

Resistivity (ρ), Seebeck (S), Power Factor (PF), Carrier Concentration (CC), Mobility (μ).

75

3.6 Thin Film Summary

Detailed deposition methods via RF magnetron sputtering are explained. Material studies

using XRD, SEM and EDX analysis show the orientation and composition of the thin-film

crystals. Thermoelectric transport properties including Seebeck measurements and power

factor were used to analyze and optimize the performance of the thin-films leading to the

fabrication of chip-scale thermoelectric energy harvester. Single-target sputtered

deposition of 1µm Bi2Te3 films above 150°C revealed a different type of grain structure.

Hexagonal crystals were formed during the deposition process and resulted in a tellurium

Te-deficient of stoichiometric films due to the evaporation of tellurium. Two-target co-

sputtered depositions with a Te sputtering power of 10W yields a film close to

stoichiometry; however co-sputtered deposition of thicker 10µm Bi2Te3 films exhibited

delamination issues due to stress in the film. For subsequent room temperature depositions,

the crystallization of the films is improved with the increasing of annealing temperature.

The resistivity of the films decreases as the mobility increases and the Seebeck coefficient

increases with the decrease in carrier concentration allowing for higher power factor for

the annealed films. Hence room temperature depositions using the two-target co-sputtering

process for Bi2Te3 film and single-target sputtering for Sb2Te3 film followed by annealing

at 250°C is chosen to fabricate a micro-scale thermoelectric energy generator (µTEG).

76

Chapter 4. Fabrication and Characterization of

Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting Devices

In this chapter we report on the fabrication and characterization of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3

based chip-scale thermoelectric energy harvesting devices. The thermoelectric (TE)

energy harvesters presented here are targeted towards internet of things (IoT) applications

close to room temperature. The aim is to generate enough power from a ΔT of 10°C to

power a wireless sensor. We present details on the device design, fabrication process

flow and device characterization. Finally, we provide process improvements plans for use

with second generation TE devices.

4.1 Fabrication of TEG Device – Vertical Architecture

While we have explored several different device architectures, in this work we focus on

devices based on n-type and p-type thermoelectric materials with a vertical device

architecture. The devices operate by forming a thermal pathway from a heat source to a

heat sink, thus forming a temperature gradient across the device. The thermal resistance of

the device materials establishes a temperature gradient across all thermocouples within the

device. Thus, each thermocouple will experience approximately the same temperature

gradient while being arranged electrically in series (thermally in parallel), culminating in a

large electric potential, the result of the added individual Seebeck voltages. SEM images

shown in Figure 4.1 represents the individual thermocouples connected in series within the

designed device. A single TEG device contains hundreds of thermoelectric leg pairs in a

typical 12mm2. The layout schematic is shown in Figure 4.1(c) 24.

77

Figure 4.1: (a) SEM image of the completed TEG device after removal of the top die; (b)

Higher magnification SEM image of the individual thermoelectric legs connected in

series. (c) Layout schematic for a typical ~12mm2 vertical TEG device, showing the

metallic interconnects in orange and thermoelectric legs in purple.

The optimized n-type and p-type thermoelectric materials presented in this work, are used

to design a Seebeck-based micro thermoelectric generator devices (μTEGs). The latter is

fabricated and experimentally verified utilizing a 10µm thick sputtered surface

micromachined process on 2-inch oxidized Si substrates. The oxide layer is thermally

78

grown to a thickness of 500nm to ensure both electrical and thermal isolation of the device.

Separate n-type and p-type substrates are processed in tandem in preparation for die-to-die

bonding to form the proposed micro thermoelectric generator. Figure 4.1 presents an SEM

image of a completed device after removal of the top silicon die and Figure 4.2 (a)-(d)

shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the full device process flow.

Figure 4.2: Schematic of vertical structure process flow (a) Vertical structure after Au

electroplating. (b) Double layer photo-resist (c) Deposition of active material. (d) lift-off

Approximately 4µm of gold (Au) is electroplated onto the oxidized Si substrate through

the use of both an e-beam Evaporated Ti/Au electroplating seed layer and an electroplating

photoresist mold to define and form the electric interconnect layer. The specific thickness

is chosen to allow for a low resistance path within the device and for enhancing the bonding

process. Post electroplating, the photoresist is stripped. Next, the seed layer is etched

79

through use of a standard Au etch recipe followed by a hydrofluoric (HF) etch recipe of

the base Ti. The resulting cross-section schematic is shown in Figure 4.2 (a).

Subsequently, the wafers are patterned with 15µm thick AZ9620 lift-off photoresist, in

preparation for thermoelectric material sputtering, double layer, as shown in Figure 4.2 (b).

Two layers of the photoresist are sequentially spin-coated and are subsequently patterned

to achieve the desired thickness, thus enabling an efficient lift-off of the subsequently

deposited thermoelectric materials. A physical vapor deposition (PVD) RF-sputtering

system is employed to deposit both the n-type and p-type thermoelectric materials at room

temperature. For the deposition of the n-type thermoelectric material, Bi2Te3, a co-

sputtering technique is used.

In addition, post thermoelectric material deposition, a 1μm thick film of Bi is sputtered

on top of the resulting material stack to form a bonding layer. The resulting cross-section

at this stage of device fabrication is shown in Figure 4.2 (c). Subsequently, a lift-off

process is utilized to reveal the desired device architecture. The lift-off of the

Cr/Bi2Te3/Bi and Cr/Sb2Te3/Bi stacks is performed by removing the AZ9620

photoresist in concentrated acetone for several hours. The resulting device cross-section

is shown in Figure 4.2 (d). Post lift off, both the n-type and p-type wafers are annealed

under in N2 atmosphere at 250°C to promote further crystal growth for improved

thermoelectric properties. The resulting optical image and Scanning Electron Microscopy

(SEM) image of the p-type wafer is shown in Figure 4.3 and Figure 4.4.

80

Figure 4.3: optical image of the completed p-type wafer.

Figure 4.4: Higher magnification SEM image of the p-type wafer.

81

Two individual sputtering targets are utilized concurrently inside the sputtering system.

One is a Bi2Te3 target and the other is a pure Te target. The sputtering targets are set to

60W for the Bi2Te3 and 10W for the Te. The 10W is chosen for the Te target due to the

figure of merit (CC*mobility as shown in Figure 3.12a) and elemental composition ratio

(as shown in Figure 3.15). The p-type thermoelectric material, Sb2Te3, is deposited through

the utilization of a single sputtering target set to a power of 60W. Each material type is

sputtered to a thickness of approximately 10µm to form the thermoelectric legs of the

device. Just prior to each material deposition, a 10nm thick sputtered layer of Cr is

deposited to promote adhesion between the thermoelectric materials and the Au

transmission lines.

Figure 4.5: (a) Completed n-type and p-type wafer prior to dicing, (b) Vertical device

architecture showing the individual diced die and (c) Completed die post bonding.

82

Before bonding of the substrates takes place, each wafer is diced into individual device

dies. The capping die is cut to be slightly smaller to reveal the underlying electrical contact

pads, as shown in Figure 4.5 (a). A Senta FC150 flip-chip bonder is utilized for the die-to-

die bonding through the employment of a typical thermo-compressive bonding recipe.

Specifically, the dies are ramped to 350°C under an N2 flow with the bonding force

(typically 44 MPa) being applied for 150 seconds, under which conditions, the top Bi layer

and the opposing Au surface of each die form a eutectic bond, as shown schematically in

Figure 4.5 (b)-(c). Contact resistances between Au interconnect and the thermoelectric

materials are obtained using a patterned Kelvin structures on the substrate surface. As

shown in Figure 4.6, each thermocouple, defined as one p-type leg and one n-type leg will

experience approximately the same ΔT while arranged electrically in series thermally in

parallel resulting in higher electric potential by adding all individual Seebeck voltages.

Figure 4.6: Vertical device architecture showing (a) n-type and p-type legs are

electrically in series and (b) thermally in parallel.

83

4.2 Device Performance

The thermoelectric properties of the final device are shown in Table 4.1 6 and the resulting

3D X-ray image and optical image of the final device is shown in Figure 4.7.

Material ρ (Ω-m) S (μV/K) PF (mW/K2.m) Ρcontact, Au (Ω-m2)

Bi2Te3 (Device) 1.56E-05 -102 0.7 9.42E-010

Sb2Te3 (Device) 0.90E-05 +110 1.3 3.42E-08

Au 2.6E-08

Table 4.3: Measured properties for thermoelectric materials and interconnect.

Figure 4.7: (a) 3D X-ray image of the TEG device, (b) optical image of the TEG device.

84

The device performance characterization is performed by sandwiching the TEG device

between two large copper blocks. A ΔT is generated and controlled by heating one block

and cooling the other. The magnitude of the temperature drop across the device is

determined using a Quantum Focus Instrument (QFI) infrared (IR) microscope with a

resolution of 20 μm per pixel to bypass the issue of thermal contact resistance present with

standard reference bar techniques, as shown in Figure 4.8. Thermocouples are embedded

in the copper blocks as a reference. The Current–voltage (I/V) characteristics are collected

throughout the temperature cycling in an open-circuit and variable load resistance

configurations 63.

Figure 4.8: Thermal QFI image showing the ΔT drop across the TEG device.

An example set of the data measured for a single TEG device is shown in Figure 4.9.

Measurements are performed for a set of load resistances between 10 Ω and 10 kΩ, and for

a range of cross-device temperature gradients from 1°C up to 7.5°C. Current–Voltage

characteristics are shown in Figure 4.9(a) , while the power out as a function of the load

resistance is shown in Figure 4.9(b). The open circuit voltage and power output increases

85

with ΔT across the device. In addition, the maximum power is achieved under essentially

matched load conditions, which is independent of ΔT. The maximum power, which follows

the expected quadratic dependence on ΔT, is plotted in Figure 4.9(c) 63. This maximum

power is based on an improved bonding recipe (bonding force and temperature) which

resulted in an improved power output performance.

Figure 4.9: Device performance data collected for a single TEG: (a) load voltage as a


magnitudes of temperature gradient across device. Maximum power as a function of

temperature gradient is shown in (c).

86

4.3 Analysis of Bond Interface

Following the die bonding process and performance testing of the vertical device , the

TEG is prepared for SEM analysis and mechanical cross-sectioning to expose and inspect

the individual legs for any fabrication or bonding related defects or anomalies.

4.3.1 SEM Analysis and Mechanical Cross-Section

A qualitative inspection of the top-down interface post removal of the top cap wafer is

performed. No fabrication related anomalies were observed as shown in figure 4.10.

Figure 4.10: (a) SEM image of the TEG device post removal of top cap wafer and

(b) Higher manginfation SEM of the highlighted thermocouple legs.

The TEG device is subsequently subjected for mechanical cross-sectioning analysis to

examine the bond interface. Prior to cross-sectioning, the vertical TEG device is prepared

and inserted in a mix of resin and hardener based on recommended volume per part

preceding the polishing process. Subsequently, rough grinding is performed until few

microns away from the area of interest (AOI) followed by fine polishing process and

87

SEM analysis to ensure the AOI is scratch-free and contains no chip-outs. The resulting

SEM images are shown in Figure 4.11. Cross-section SEM analysis revealed evidence of

excess force being applied during the bonding process causing some deformation of the

thermocouple legs during bond. Both n-type and p-type legs were roughly 15% wider and

shorter than the pre-bond process as shown in Figure 4.11 (a). Furthermore, the voids

shown in Figure 4.11(c) are indicative of high porosity in the bond, which contribute to

an increase in the contact resistance, which is a parasitic loss that limits the overall device

performance.

Figure 4.11: (a) Cross-section SEM image of the bond interface post bond, (b) SEM image

of n-type leg including material thickness and (c) Higher mag of the euteic bond interface.

Futher examination using elemental composition (EDX) analysis is used to analyze the

bond interface for any defects. The individual elemental maps of the bond interface are

shown in Figure 4.12. In addition to the expected active materials in the n-type Bi2Te3

device (such as bismuth, tellirum and gold), significant Oxygen (O) was present in the

interface layer indicating a likely non-optimized bond process.

88

Figure 4.12: EDX map of the bond interface of the n-type leg.

The individual elemental maps are shown on the left and superimposed on the right 63.

4.4 Summary of Vertical TEG

In this section we have demonstrated the fabrication and characterization of the chip-

scale thermoelectric generation (TEG) devices. The active materials in these devices is

based on n-type Bi2Te3 and p-type Sb2Te3 using a vertical architecture with 10 μm leg

length. The optimized 10µm films are fabricated in parallel using separate n-type and p-

type wafers and prepared using die -to-die bonding techniques to form the vertical µTEG.

SEM and EDX analysis were used to highlight any fabrication related anomalies.

Performance testing show the optimized n-type film yielded a -102µV/K for the Seebeck

coefficient and 0.7 mW/K2.m for the power factor. Similarly, optimized p-type film

yielded +110µV/K and 1.3 mW/K2.m for their Seebeck coefficient and power factor

respectively. Using the combination of novel infrared microscopy and thin-film

characterization techniques, the power output as a function of the true temperature

difference across the device are isolated. Power outputs as high as 1 mW for a μTEG with

~13.8 mm2 footprint and device ΔT of ~7.5 K are measured 6.

89

Chapter 5. Manufacturing Perspective of Second-

Generation TE Devices and Conclusion

One major limitation of the chip scale thermoelectric device based on the vertical

architecture is the thermal impedance and the manufacturing constraints. The fabrication

of the thick thermoelectric legs is performed via patterning and thin-film deposition

process; However as shown in chapter 4, the 10μm thick thermoelectric n-type and p-

type active materials are not practical using the current deposition methods due to the

slow deposition rates, higher cost and film delamination due to the internal stress/strain

on the films. These manufacturing constraints limit the leg length of the thermoelectric

materials.

5.1 Fabrication of TEG Device – Pyramid Architecture

One approach to solve these constraints is using a patented pyramid structure 64. In this

device structure the n-type bismuth telluride Bi2Te3 and p-type antimony telluride Sb2Te3

active legs are deposited along a polyimide pyramids, allowing to double the existing leg

length to more than 20μm for film depositions under 5μm thick. Polyimide is a light

weight polymer with a low thermal conductivity and provides support for the

thermoelectric legs due to its high flexibility and resistance to heat, thus reducing the

impact of the thermal shunt between the top and bottom wafer 24. Figure 5.1 shows a

cross-section image of the proposed pyramid structure. In the vertical architecture, the

heat flows from the top to bottom along the vertical legs . Hence the TE legs are

electrically in series and thermally in parallel. In the pyramid architecture, the heat flows

90

at an angle along the thermoelectric legs, while maintaining the electrical connection in

series and thermally in parallel. This provides the capability to harvest more of the

available ΔT compared to the vertical architecture. Following the fabrication process of

the pyramid device, the TEG is prepared for mechanical cross-sectioning and imaged via

high resolution SEM. The resulting cross-section image is shown in Figure 5.2.

Figure 5.1 Schematic cross-section image of the patented pyramid structure 64.

Figure 5.2: (a) High magnification cross-secton SEM image with labels of the individual

legs of the TEG device. (b) slope of the active material

91

5.2 Process flow of the 2-Pyramid Architecture

Employing the knowledge gained from the optimized n-type and p-type thermoelectric

materials detailed in this work, Seebeck-based micro thermoelectric generator devices

(μTEGs) were fabricated utilizing the polyimide architecture detailed in the previous

section. Here the TEG devices are internally fabricated on an industrial scale oxidized

silicon wafer (8 inch in diameter). The oxide layer is thermally grown to a thickness of

500nm for proper electrical and thermal isolation. The completed n-type and p-type

wafers are prepared using wafer-to-wafer bonding to form the proposed chip-scale

thermoelectric generator. As detailed previously for the vertical architecture - 10µm thick

sputtered thermoelectric devices approximately 4µm of Au is electroplated onto the

oxidized Si substrate through use of both an e-beam Evaporated Ti/Au electroplating seed

layer and an electroplating photoresist mold to define and form the electric interconnect

layer. Post electroplating, the photoresist is stripped, and the seed layer is subsequently

etched through use of first a standard Au etch followed by an HF etch of the base Ti.

Figure 5.3: Process flow for the 2-pyramid structure 64.

92

Next, polyimide is spin coated onto the wafers and is then lithographically defined to

form pyramid structures that serve as the base architecture for the thermoelectric

materials, which are subsequently thermally co-evaporated to a thickness of 5 µm. Only

one photoresist layer is required to form this thickness of thermoelectric material on each

wafer. An electroplated layer consisting of 2um of Gold (Au) and 1µm of Sn is then

formed on each substrate in preparation for eutectic bonding to form the completed

device. Differing from the previously described die-bonded devices, full 8-inch to 8-inch

bonding is performed to complete the batch fabrication of thousands of thermoelectric

devices in tandem. Wafer dicing occurs after completion of wafer bonding in order to

form the individual TEG device. Figure 5.3 depicts a schematic cross-sectional view of

the full 2-pyramid device process flow.

5.3 Conclusion and Future Work

In this work, 1µm and 10µm thermoelectric n-type bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and p-type

antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) thin-films are grown on SiO2/Si at room temperature and a

range of elevated temperatures using RF magnetron sputtering. The 10µm film is chosen

for the final thermoelectric device based on vertical architecture. Temperature effects on

the thermoelectric properties of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 films are found to be strongly

dependent on the sputtering method and deposition temperature. Deterioration of

thermoelectric properties is observed for the 1µm n-type film deposited at temperatures

above 150°C using the single-target sputtering process due to the evaporation of

tellurium. Room temperature deposition using the two-target co-sputtering process for

the n-type film and single-target sputtering for the p-type film followed by annealing at

93

250°C is chosen to fabricate a novel 10µm device for micro-scale thermoelectric energy

generator (µTEG) geared towards internet-of-things (IoT) and industrial applications

close to room temperature. The 10µm n-type film yielded -102µV/K for the Seebeck

coefficient and 0.7 mW/K2.m for the power factor using the two-target co-sputtering

process. Similarly, prepared p-type Sb2Te3 film but using a single sputtering target

yielded +110µV/K and 1.3 mW/K2.m for their Seebeck coefficient and power factor

respectively. The optimized 10µm films are subsequently fabricated in parallel using

separate n-type and p-type wafers and prepared using die bonding technique to form the

vertical µTEG. Characterization included measurement of the device performance as well

as SEM and EDX analysis. The power output as a function of the true temperature

difference were measured as high as 1 mW for a vertical μTEG with ~13.8 mm2 footprint

and device ΔT of ~7.5 K 6. From manufacturing perspective, the fabrication process flow

of the second-generation chip-scale TEG device is presented. The design of the μTEG is

based on the pyramid architecture, where the thermoelectric elements are deposited and

patterned along a polyimide slope allowing longer effective leg length for higher output

performance. Future work as shown in section 5.4, the TEG devices will be subjected to a

series of stress-related tests to assess reliability performance under field conditions such

as high humidity and high temperatures.

94

5.3.1 Future Work

Post fabrication, the TEG devices will be subjected to a series of aging tests (stress tests)

to evaluate the reliability performance under high humidity and high temperature

conditions. The measurements of the TEG devices will be recorded pre and post each stress

using the following aging test standards: Solder Heat Resistance (SHR), Temperature

Cycling and Unbiased Highly Accelerated Stress Test ( uHAST) and Autoclave. A detailed

description of these aging stress tests is presented below.

5.3.1.1 Solder Heat Resistance

Solder Heat Resistance (SHR) is primarily used to evaluate the ability of a device to

withstand thermal stresses from the soldering process. It is commonly known as a

“preconditioning” step and includes three conditions: 24-hour Bake, Soak and three

passes (3x) of reflow. Based on the moisture sensitivity level (MSL) obtained from spec

J-STD-020 65, the relative MSL3 uses a soak duration is 192 hours at 30°C with 60%

Relative Humidity (RH) to evaluate the thermal stress on the integrity of the device.

5.3.1.2 Temperature Cycling

Temperature cycling test is conducted for the purpose of determining the resistance of

solid-state devices to exposures at extreme high and low temperatures. Changes in

electrical characteristics and even permanent physical damage is likely to occur during

temperature cycling, principally from mechanical stress caused by thermal expansion and

contraction. Figure 5.3 shows a typical profile for the temperature cycle test condition.

95

For this stress, -65°C/+150°C test condition C is used per JEDEC Standard JESD22-

A104E 66. The expectation is to ensure there are no issues with thermal cycling.

Figure 5.4: Representative temperature profile for the thermal cycle condition 66.

5.3.1.3 Unbiased Highly Accelerated Stress Test

uHAST is an unbiased test that utilizes humidity and temperature under non-condensing

conditions to accelerate moisture penetrations through the material. Typical uHAST

conditions applied in such test is 96 hours at 85°C/85% RH.

5.3.1.4 Autoclave

Autoclave (AC) test is performed to evaluate the device’s ability to withstand extreme

temperatures and humidity conditions. Typical AC conditions include 96 hours at +121°C,

100% RH and two atmospheres of pressure. Such conditions accelerate the penetration of

moisture along the interface of the thermoelectric legs.

96

Appendix A. Fabrication and Characterization of

Bi2Te3-Based Chip-Scale Thermoelectric Energy

Harvesting Devices

Authors

Jane Cornett*, Baoxing Chen, Samer Haidar, Helen Berney, Pat McGuinness, Bill Lane,

Yuan Gao, Yifan He, Nian Sun, Marc Dunham, Mehdi Asheghi, Ken Goodson, Yi Yuan,

Khalil Najafi

(* Corresponding Author)

A.1. Introduction

Thermoelectric (TE) energy harvesters make use of the Seebeck effect: the phenomenon

by which materials convert a temperature gradient into an electric potential. In this work,

we report on the fabrication and characterization of chip-scale thermoelectric energy

harvesting devices. The TE energy harvesters presented here are targeted towards

industrial applications close to room temperature—generating enough power from a

temperature drop of ~10°C to power a wireless sensor node. We will present details on

device design and process development, as well as the results of extensive device

characterization. Finally, we will discuss planned process improvements for next

generation devices. While we have explored several different device architectures and

thermoelectric materials, in this work we focus on devices based on n-type and p-type

bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) with a vertical device architecture. Bismuth telluride-based

thermoelectric materials were chosen for their excellent room-temperature transport

properties.1 The vertical structure, described in detail below, is typical of many devices

97

in the literature 2–5 as well as commercial modules. Optimization of the leg geometry

and device fill factor for these devices was done previously, and is reported in Ref. 6.

A.2. Methods

A cross-sectional schematic of the device architecture is given in Fig. 1. During

application, an external temperature gradient is maintained between two Si wafers with

heat flowing vertically along the thermoelectric elements (labeled N and P). An electric

potential is established in each of the thermoelectric elements in response to an applied

temperature gradient. The total device voltage is a sum of the Seebeck voltages created in

the array of legs, which are thermally in parallel and electrically in series. Highlights

from the process flow for wafer fabrication of the Bi2Te3-based vertical structure devices

are as follows:

1. Electroplate Au interconnect

2. Spin and pattern thick photoresist for lift-off of Bi2Te3

3. Sputter deposit n-type (p-type) Bi2Te3

4. Sputter deposit Bi

5. Lift-off to remove photoresist, patterning n-type (p-type) Bi2Te3 and Bi

After the wafer fabrication is finished, the wafers are diced and die-bonded using a flip-

chip bonding tool. A set of devices with varied feature sizes and numbers of

thermoelectric elements was built following

98

Figure 1. Cross-sectional schematics of the vertical Bi2Te3-based device architecture

discussed here.

Device performance characterization of the Bi2Te3-based devices was completed by

sandwiching the device between two large copper blocks; a temperature gradient was

generated and controlled by heating one block and cooling the other. The magnitude of

the temperature drop across the device was determined using a QFI infrared microscope,

and confirmed using temperature readings from thermocouples imbedded in the copper

blocks. Current-voltage characteristics were collected throughout temperature cycling by

probing pads on the devices.

In addition to performance characteristics, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and

energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis was completed on the thermoelectric devices.

This included top-down imaging of uncapped devices (for determining the cross-sectional

area of the active materials post-bond), as well as cross-sectional imaging (performed

after filling the devices with epoxy and mechanically polishing to expose the active

materials).

99

A.3. Results:

An example set of data measured for a single device is shown in Fig. 2. Measurements

were performed for a set of load resistances between 10Ω and 10kΩ, and for a range of

cross-device temperature gradients from_1 to 7.5_C. Current–voltage characteristics are

given in Fig. 2a, while the power out as a function of load resistance is shown in Fig. 2b.

Open circuit voltage and power output increases monotonically with the temperature

drop, or DT, across the device. In addition, maximum power is achieved under essentially

matched load conditions, independent of ΔT; the total device resistance in this case was

close to 260 Ω. The maximum power, which follows the expected quadratic dependence

on ΔT, is plotted in Fig. 2c.

Figure 2. Device performance data collected for a single TEG: (a) Load voltage as a


magnitudes of temperature gradient across the device. Maximum power as a function of

temperature gradient is shown in (c).

SEM images of one of the thermoelectric devices are shown in Fig. 3. The image in Fig.

3a was taken of the active area of the device after removing the top die. The n- and p-type

Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric elements as well as the top and bottom interconnects can be

clearly seen, and there is minimal deformation due to the bonding process. The images in

100

Fig. 3b and c are cross-sectional views taken after mechanical polishing. Figure 3b

includes a pair of n- and p-type legs, indicating slight deformation to the n-type leg. The

image in Fig. 3c was taken at the interface of the top Au interconnect and the n-type

Bi2Te3 leg, showing voids in the bond interface. Finally, an EDX map taken at the bond

interface is shown in Fig. 4. In addition to the expected active materials in the device

(bismuth Bi, tellurium Te, gold Au), significant oxygen (O) is found in the interface

layer, indicating a non-optimized bond process.

Figure 3. SEM images of a Bi2Te3-based device fabricated at Northeastern University. (a)

Image is taken at an angle, with the top Si substrate removed to show the TE legs. (b,c)

Images taken in cross-section after mechanical polishing.

Figure 4. EDX map of the bond interface of a Bi2Te3-based device fabricated at

Northeastern University. Individual elemental maps are shown on the left, and

superimposed on the right.

101

Leveraging on what was learned from complete characterization of the devices described

above, process development is currently underway for fabrication of second-generation

thermoelectric energy harvesters. Process improvements include: (1) reduction in contact

resistance between the Au interconnects and the Bi2Te3 through optimized bonding, (2)

improvements to the lift-off photoresist process for better Bi2Te3 leg profile and (3)

increased thickness of the Bi2Te3.

A.4. Conclusion

We have demonstrated fabrication of chip-scale thermoelectric devices through

collaborative work with several universities. The active thermoelectric materials in these

devices were based on Bi2Te3, and the device architecture (shown in Fig. 1) is a standard

vertical structure. Characterization included measurement of device performance as well

as SEM and EDX analysis. Ongoing work focuses on the process improvements

mentioned above, as well as exploration of other device architectures.

A.5. References

1. H.J. Goldsmid, A.R. Sheard, and D.A. Wright, Br. J. Appl. Phys. 9, 365 (1958).

2. M.-Y. Kim and T.-S. Oh, J. Electron. Mater. 42, 2752 (2013).

3. K.-J. Shin and T.-S. Oh, J. Electron. Mater. 44, 2026 (2015).

4. J.-P. Fleurial, G.J. Snyder, J.A. Herman, P.H. Giauque, W.M. Phillips, M.A. Ryan, P.

Shakkottai, E.A. Kolawa, and M.A. Nicolet, in 18th International Conference on

Thermoelectrics(1999).

5. L.W. da Silva, M. Kaviany, A. DeHennis, and J.S. Dyck, in 22nd International Conference on

Thermoelectrics (2003).

6. M.T. Dunham, M.T. Barako, S. LeBlanc, M. Asheghi- Roudheni, B. Chen, and K.E.

Goodson, Energy 93, 2006 (2015).

102

Appendix B. Experimental Characterization of

Microfabricated Thermoelectric Energy Harvesters for

Smart Sensor and Wearable Applications

Authors

Marc T. Dunham*, Michael T. Barako, Jane E. Cornett, Yuan Gao, Samer Haidar, Nian

Sun, Mehdi Asheghi, Baoxing Chen, and Kenneth E. Goodson

(* Corresponding Author)

B.1. Introduction

Thermoelectric energy harvesting technology, which uses the Seebeck effect to convert

thermal gradients into electrical potential, is poised to take advantage of the nexus

between advances in microfabrication technology and the widespread demand for small

low-power devices such as autonomous sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT) and

wearable electronics spaces. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) have been manufactured

on the mm- to cm-scale for thermal energy conversion in the Watts to kilo-Watts-electric

range since the 1950s for niche applications in the aerospace and transportation

industries. [1–4] However, developments in microscale fabrication technologies since the

1990s have enabled a push toward small form factor “micro” thermoelectric generators

(μTEGs) assembled by patterned additive manufacturing such as physical vapor

deposition [5,6] or electrodeposition. [7–10] These approaches allow for a very high

thermocouple density (> 1000 cm-2) and can be optimized [11] to reach voltages on the

order of ~1 V for small temperature gradients (e.g. < 10 K). These voltages enable the

103

efficient use of power management circuitry [12] to buffer transients in the thermoelectric

system from temperature fluctuations or to trickle-charge a battery or capacitor for

periodic high-current discharge bursts (e.g. low duty cycle wireless transmissions). [10]

Microfabricated TEGs produced in a streamlined wafer-scale process offer a cost-

effective, small form-factor, and maintenance-free alternative to battery-powered or hard-

wired devices that may be impractical to re-access after installation.

Significant early efforts in the fabrication of microscale TEGs include the deposition of

Bi2Te3-based materials by magnetron sputtering by Stordeur and Stark onto thin

substrates which were then diced and arranged in a stack to form a large thermopile. [13]

Similar “in-plane deposition, stacked assembly” methods were later used by Stordeur and

Stark, [14] Kim, [15] and by Weber et al. in a coiled assembly. [16] In 1999, Fleurial et al.

demonstrated direct deposition of thermoelectric material to form vertical arrays of

thermoelements using photoresist templates, [9,10] motivating similar efforts in monolithic

vertical fabrication by Glatz et al. [7,8] and Cornett et al. [17] In addition to the use of

system-level analyses by Dunham et al. [11] which demonstrated the impact of a variety of

geometric design parameters on the performance of vertically-assembled μTEGs, this

work aims to improve upon the characterization techniques common in the literature

which are particularly susceptible to uncertainty from thermal contact resistances.

In this work we report the comprehensive design, fabrication, and experimental

characterization of wafer-processed μTEGs for thermal energy harvesting applications.

We use IR microscopy to measure the in situ device temperature gradient with micron-

scale spatial resolution. We simultaneously measure the temperature across the active

region of the device while recording current-voltage sweeps across a variable load

104

resistance to measure the full set of electrical output characteristics from the open circuit

through the optimal matched-load conditions. In addition to measuring load power versus

temperature gradient, we use this technique to determine device thermal resistance,

thermal efficiency, and a device-level thermoelectric figure-of-merit ZT.

B.2. Design of Microfabricated TEGs:

The design of μTEGs in this study is guided by the models and conclusions developed by

Dunham et al. [11] for the optimization of power density. The energy harvesters operate by

forming a thermal pathway from a heat source (e.g. hot water pipe surface, machinery

casing, or human skin) to a heat sink (e.g. ambient air or a cold solid surface). The

thermal resistance of the μTEG establishes a temperature gradient across an array of

thermocouples which are arranged thermally in parallel, such that each thermocouple sees

approximately the same temperature gradient, and electrically in series, such that the

Seebeck voltage generated by each thermocouple adds together for a large electrical

potential. A representative model of the μTEGs in this study, scanning electron

micrograph (SEM) of internal thermocouple array, example packaged assembly for water

pipe thermal harvesting, and illustrations of reduced 3D unit cell and 1D thermal resistor

network models are shown in Figure 1.

105

Figure 1. Illustration of size scales from individual thermoelement (μm) to device-level μTEG

(mm) to example system-level implementation (cm), with insets of SEM showing thermocouples,

thermoelements, and interconnects (center-left), and illustrations of reduced 3D unit cell and 1D

thermal resistance network models.

For a fixed thermal resistance between the heat source and heat sink external to the

generator (e.g. spreading and bond interface resistance on the hot side and heat sink on the

cold side), illustrated by Rt,c and Rt,h in the 1D resistor network in Figure 1, the power

output of an ideal μTEG is optimized when the thermal resistance of the active

thermoelectric region approximately equals the total sum of external thermal resistances.

The concept of “thermal load matching” does not necessarily hold for large temperature

gradients, where temperature-dependent properties, Peltier effects, and Joule heating

introduce significant non-linearities. [18] However, in the domain of small temperature

differences for energy scavenging applications it is a reasonable first-order approximation.

An optimal thermal resistance ratio occurs because the primary mechanism for increasing

thermal resistance (increasing the aspect ratio of the thermoelements, or individual leg of

106

a thermocouple) also increases the electrical resistance. As the ratio of internal to external

thermal resistance goes to infinity, the temperature difference across the μTEG

asymptotically approaches the source-sink temperature difference, while the electrical

resistance increases without bound. This is a one-direction optimization, meaning if the

external thermal resistance is known and fixed, the thermal resistance of the thermoelectric

region should be designed to match it. However, reducing the external thermal resistance

will always lead to an increase in power output as it increases the thermal gradient across

the generator, ΔTTEG, and electrical power generated is proportional to the square of this

temperature difference.

The relation for power delivered to an electrical load resistance matching the electrical

resistance of the generator, Re,TEG, is given in Equation (1), where STEG is the total Seebeck

coefficient including all thermocouples in series. While parasitic losses, primarily Peltier

heating and cooling from electrical current flow, in reality shift the optimal electrical load

resistance to be larger than the generator electrical resistance, the assumption of maximum

load power delivered at matched electrical loading conditions is reasonable for small ΔTTEG

and low device-level figure of merit ZT (discussed in Section 5.4).

( )2

2TEG TEG

load,matched

e,TEG e,TEG4 4

S TVP

R R

= =

(1)

The devices in this study are designed to be coupled to external thermal resistances

totaling approximately 5-10 K W-1. This range is intended to be representative of a solid

bond contact on the hot side and a high-performance natural convection heat sink,

radiation heat sink, or solid contact to a heat pipe on the cold side. The device thermal

resistance is calculated using a 1D resistor model, illustrated in Figure 1, accounting for

107

the series contributions of the silicon substrates, passivation layers, and thermocouple

region including air surrounding the thermocouples. Four different device geometries are

studied, plus one duplicate geometry which is die-bonded under higher pressure. Table 1

provides a summary of the device designs. Thermal resistances are calculated using an

average thermal conductivity of 1.3 W m-1 K-1 for Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 thin films formed

by physical vapor deposition (PVD). While stoichiometric single crystal material in

macroscale ingots is typically assumed to have thermal conductivity of ~1.6-2.0 W m-1 K-

1, [19,20] thin films are typically more thermally resistive (e.g. ~1.2-1.4 W m-1 K-1

measured for co-evaporated Bi2Te3 thin films [21]) due to defects and grain disorder. All

devices have a footprint of 4.3 mm x 3.2 mm, corresponding to the area of the larger

substrate in the illustration presented in Figure 1.

Device

#

# of

TCs

Thermoelement

height/width

[μm]

Average nominal

bond pressure on

thermoelements

[MPa]

Nominal

thermoelectric

layer thermal

resistance [K W-1]

Nominal device

thermal

resistance [K W-1]

1 700 10/30 44 5.6 6.9

2 900 10/30 44 4.4 5.6

3 1100 10/30 44 3.7 4.7

4 348 10/40 44 6.2 7.6

5 348 10/40 53 6.2 7.6

Table 4. Nominal design parameters for μTEGs in this study.

B.3. μTEG Fabrication

The μTEGs are fabricated on 3-inch <100> Si wafers coated with a 500 nm thick SiO2

insulation layer deposited via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Separate n-

and p-type wafers are fabricated in parallel. Following the blanket SiO2 deposition, ~4

μm of Au (measured by SEM to be 3.2 μm on the n-type wafer and 3.9 μm on the p-type

108

wafer) is electroplated to form the interconnect layer. The wafers are then patterned with

a 15 µm thick lift-off photoresist layer (AZ-9620). The thermoelectric depositions are

done at room temperature in an RF-sputtering physical vapor deposition (PVD) system.

The n-type thermoelectric material is deposited by co-sputtering from Bi2Te3 (60 W) and

Te (10 W) targets, while the p-type film is sputtered from a single Sb2Te3 target (60 W).

The additional Te target for deposition of the n-type material is used to supplement low

Te compositions consistently observed using energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy

(EDX) when using a single Bi2Te3 target. The power factor of our test p-type films show

less sensitivity to variations in Te content, and a supplemental target is not required. The

deposited Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 films are approximately 8 µm thick. In both cases, 10 nm of

Cr is used to promote adhesion between the thermoelectric material and the Au.

Following the thermoelectric film depositions, 1 μm of Bi is sputtered to form a eutectic

with Au during die bonding. Lift-off of the Cr/Bi2Te3/Bi (Cr/Sb2Te3/Bi) stack is

performed by stripping the AZ-9620 in acetone for several hours. After lift-off, the

wafers are annealed under nitrogen (to prevent oxidation) at 250 °C for 30 minutes,

which brought the films closer to ideal stoichiometry and also reduced the electrical

resistivity. Prior to bonding, the wafers are diced into individual die, with the cap die

slightly smaller to expose electrical contact pads on the device die below.

Bonding is performed using a SETNA FC150 flip-chip bonder. In a typical

thermocompressive bond recipe, the die are ramped up to 350 °C under N2 flow, with

bonding force applied for a total of 150 seconds. The bond process accounts for

approximately 10% of the total thermal budget including annealing, and we do not expect

109

it to significantly alter the material properties. Annealing is performed as a separate

process to enable blanket film characterization after annealing and prior to bonding. A

eutectic bond is formed between the Bi layer on the n-type (p-type) wafer and the Au

interconnect on the p-type (n-type) wafer. The bonding force varies depending on the

particular device fill factor, with the nominal pressure on the thermoelectric legs

relatively close to 44 MPa.

The deposited thermoelectric materials were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD)

and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with the film compositions determined by

EDX. The thermoelectric properties of the films were determined using an Ecopia HMS-

3000 Hall measurement system and a Seebeck measurement system based on a 4-probe

differential measurement technique. Electrical contact resistances between the

thermoelectric materials and Au depositions were measured using patterned Kelvin

structures, and represent an average, effective contact resistance that includes the

adhesion and bonding materials in the interfacial regions (Cr and Bi). A summary of the

results of these measurements in given in Table 2.

Material S [μV K-1] ρ [Ω m] PF [mW m-1 K-2] ρcontact,Au [Ω m2]

Bi2Te3 (n-type) -102 1.56 x 10-5 0.7 9.42 x 10-10

Sb2Te3 (p-type) +110 0.90 x 10-5 1.3 3.42 x 10-8

Au -- 2.6 x 10-8 -- --

Table 5. Measured properties for deposited thermoelectric and interconnect materials.

110

B.4. Device Characterization

The most challenging aspect of system-level characterization for μTEGs is determining

the operating temperature gradient across the generator in the presence of multiple

parasitic resistances and interfaces. The small contact surfaces and impracticality of using

a high-conductance permanent bond in the test fixture lead to large thermal contact

resistances at the boundaries. For example, a representative thermal resistivity for an

aluminum/aluminum interface with Dow Corning 340 grease and ~100 kN m-2 contact

pressure may be approximately 7 x 10-6 m2 K W-1. [22] In this study, the larger contact

face is approximately 4.3 mm x 3.2 mm and the smaller contact face is approximately 3.3

mm x 3.2 mm, leading to total thermal contact resistances above 1 K W-1, which is

around 20% of the design thermal resistance of the μTEGs. Further, the exterior silicon

surfaces of these devices are unpolished, which could easily increase the total contact

resistance to the magnitude of the generator resistance itself. For these reasons, a more

precise thermal measurement technique is needed than the conventional approach of

embedded thermocouples in adjacent source/sink materials, which grossly over-predicts

the temperature gradient experienced by the functional part of the device.

B.4.1. Infrared Microscopy

We use an IR microscope (QFI InfraScope II) to directly measure the through-plane

device temperature gradient with a spatial resolution of ~20 microns per pixel. The

emissivity at the surface of the undoped silicon substrate edges is increased by applying a

thin coating of black liquid electrical tape (Gardner Bender LTB-400), observed under an

111

optical microscope to be ~10-20 μm thick after solidifying. The IR microscope uses a

pixel-by-pixel emissivity calibration feature to accurately convert the emission from

surfaces to temperature without assuming a spatially-homogeneous value of emissivity.

Further details of this technique have been previously published. [23,24] The calibrated

emissivity of the coating is typically observed to be 0.88-0.94. This particular coating is

chosen for the μTEGs and reference layers instead of graphite lubricant spray [25] to avoid

electrical shorting of the device or boron nitride spray [26] because of difficulty masking

the narrow device edges and a concern for possible thermal shunting across the substrate

gap. Boron nitride spray is used to increase the emissivity of the copper block surfaces, as

it can cover a large area with acceptable uniformity and thermal shunting on the copper

blocks is not a concern. Finite element models are used to verify both that the film does

not introduce appreciable thermal shunting and that the apparent surface temperature is

not be compromised by the thin resistive film. A piece of nonporous alumina ceramic

(96-99.8% alumina composition purchased from McMaster-Carr) with known thermal

conductivity of 27 W m-1 K-1 cut to the footprint dimensions of the μTEG is similarly

coated with the black liquid tape on the measurement edge, placed in series with the

device, and used as a heat flux sensor. A custom heating and linear compression

apparatus is used to support the device under the infrared objective lens (see Figure 2a

and 2c). A miniature button load cell is placed in-line with the compression apparatus to

ensure a consistent force of ~18 N during characterization. On the smaller, 3.2 mm x 3.3

mm face, substrate this provides a pressure of approximately 1.7 MPa which is in a

reasonable range for a grease-joined thermal interface. [22] For the smallest measured fill

fraction of 0.18, this translates to ~9.5 MPa at the individual legs, which is well below the

112

minimum 44 MPa applied for bonding. During the experiment, copper blocks are heated

by resistive Joule heaters with water line connections on one side. Thermocouples (K-

type) are embedded into the copper blocks to monitor the reservoir temperatures.

Electrical contact is made to 1 mm2 gold contact pads on the device with beryllium-

copper probe tips to minimize electrical contact resistance. Comparative tests with and

without probe tip contact to the device demonstrate insignificant thermal losses through

the probes.

Figure 2. (a) Schematic of thermal measurement structure, (b) electrical measurement

circuit diagram, (c) photograph close-ups of thermal measurement structure, and (d)

representative plot of temperature vs. position from infrared microscope data. We attribute

the visible temperature fluctuations near interfaces to error induced by large spatial

gradients in calibrated emissivity, for example when the coating has been damaged.

Throughout the experiment, open-circuit device voltage and copper block temperature is

recorded at a frequency of 4 Hz using a NI cDAQ-9174 chassis with modules for voltage

(NI-9207) and thermocouples with cold-junction compensation (NI-9213). Data are

113

visualized and recorded with Labview. The system is brought to steady state at

temperatures intended to give a range of temperature differences across the μTEG from

ΔTTEG = 0 to ~10 K. The steady state criterion used is a total fluctuation of less than 0.2

K in the thermocouple readings of each copper block and their difference over a 5-minute

period. After reaching steady state conditions, an infrared image is acquired averaging

over 20 frames to reduce noise. For IR imaging, the load circuit is left open to prevent

Peltier heating, although this is estimated from measured V-I curves to have a negligible

contribution relative to the heat input (< 7% for minimum load resistance, and ~3% at

maximum power point). After reaching steady state and recording the IR image, the

μTEG is connected to a circuit containing a 10 kΩ potentiometer to sweep a range of load

resistances. Voltage is read across a fixed low-resistance sense resistor (4.8 Ω) to

determine current and potentiometer resistance simultaneously, and the voltage across the

sense resistor in series with the potentiometer is recorded as load voltage. The electrical

resistance of the μTEG at room temperature is measured using a modified Harman

method technique. [25] The sense resistor value must be less than the nominal electrical

resistance of the device to present a peak in the load power vs. load resistance curve, as

we generally expect the maximum power point to occur near matched electrical loading,

but large enough to permit stable measurements for small currents at the higher range of

the resistance sweep. For each load resistance, electrical data are averaged over 20

acquisitions (i.e. 5 seconds).

For analysis, a rectangular region of interest spanning the device and several millimeters

of each copper block is selected, and the temperature averaged in the direction

114

perpendicular to heat flow to reduce noise. By using the extracted heat flux and the

midpoint temperature of each device substrate, we extrapolate to determine the

temperatures at the outer surfaces of the device. Further details and validation of this

approach, as well as discussions of uncertainty, are provided in the Supplemental

Information. A representative set of temperature profiles, best fits, and extrapolation lines

is shown in Figure 2d. The temperature drops due to thermal boundary resistance (TBR)

between adjacent layers are directly observable using IR temperature mapping and

illustrate the difficulty in relying on external thermocouple measurements for

characterization. The measured values for open circuit voltage and maximum load power

as a function of extracted temperature difference across the μTEG are plotted in Figure 3a

and 3b.

115

Figure 3. Measured values for (a) μTEG open circuit voltage and (b) maximum load

power as a function of the μTEG temperature difference extracted using the infrared

microscopy methodology. Solid lines are linear and quadratic best fit lines. Plots of (c)

voltage vs. load current with fit lines and (d) load power vs. load resistance with visual

aid lines. All data are shown at the ΔTCu ≈ 20 K steady state condition. Vertical dashed

lines in (b) show the μTEG electrical resistance as extracted from data in (c).

The trends shown in Figure 3a and 3b are consistent with thermoelectric device models,

exhibiting a highly-linear dependence of open circuit voltage on temperature difference

(the slope defines the effective Seebeck value), and a quadratic dependence of load power

on temperature difference ΔTTEG. For an externally-imposed temperature difference and

all other parameters fixed, an increasing density of thermocouples will increase the open

circuit voltage and the load power from the generator. [11] This is apparent in the sequence

of devices with 700, 900, and 1100 thermocouples (Devices 1-3). For the two identical

devices bonded using different nominal bonding pressure, Device 4 (bonded at 44 MPa)

demonstrates a higher open circuit voltage but lower output power than Device 5 (bonded

at 53 MPa). This was found to be the result of deformation of the internal structure (see

Section 4.2). At the higher bond pressure, the legs were crushed to a lower aspect ratio,

leading to lower thermal and electrical resistances. Since Figure 3 only considers a fixed

temperature difference across the device and not the heat load, the 53 MPa bonded device

116

appears to produce more power despite having a lower device Seebeck value. A summary

of measured and extracted parameters for all five devices is provided in Table 3. Values

of device Seebeck STEG and device Seebeck per thermocouple STEG,TC are extracted from

the data in Figure 3. We note that the parameter STEG,TC is not the net material Seebeck

coefficient SBi2Te3 – SSb2Te3, but rather the Seebeck voltage of the entire device (open

circuit voltage divided by ΔTTEG, divided by number of thermocouples nTC). Therefore, it

is impacted by the relative contributions to thermal resistance in the device of the active

and inactive regions of each μTEG and is always less than the net material Seebeck

coefficient because it includes parasitic temperature drops through the substrates and

other materials not contributing to the Seebeck voltage. The net material Seebeck

coefficient (231 μV K-1) is extracted using the method detailed in Section 5.3.

Device 1 Device 2 Device 3 Device 4 Device 5 # of TCs 700 900 1100 348 348

TE bond pressure [MPa] 44 44 44 44 53

STEG [mV K-1] 94 114 149 59 48

STEG,TC [μV K-1 TC-1] 134 127 135 170 137

Re,RT [Ω] 166 211 255 246 59

Re,UT [Ω] 164 207 252 226 54

Re,TE [Ω] 37 53 71 20 7.5

Re,IC [Ω] 20 23 25 12 10

ρc [Ω m2] 7.9 x 10-11 6.7 x 10-11 7.2 x 10-11 3.7 x 10-10 1.1 x 10-10

Nominal / imaged leg

height [μm]

8.2 / 4.4 8.2 / 4.4 8.2 / 5.3 8.2 / 6.2 8.2 / 3.5

Nominal / imaged leg

width [μm]

30 / (45.2 ±

3.5)

30 / (43.0 ±

1.8)

30 / (45.0 ±

3.2)

40 / (51.5 ±

3.3)

40 / (63.3 ±

6.0)

Nominal / imaged FF 0.12 / 0.28 0.15 / 0.32 0.19 / 0.43 0.11 / 0.18 0.11 / 0.27

Rth,TEG [K W-1] 2.4 ± 0.5 1.7 ± 0.2 1.5 ± 0.2 3.0 ± 0.4 2.2 ± 0.3

ΔT

Cu ≈

20

K

ΔTCu [K] 19.9 19.9 20.1 19.7 19.7

ΔTTEG [K] 4.1 4.2 3.7 5.7 4.2

Q [W] 1.7 2.5 2.6 1.9 1.9

Pload,max [mW] 0.22 0.26 0.29 0.12 0.15

Pa,load,max [mW cm-

2]

1.6 1.9 2.1 0.9 1.1

ηmax 1.29 x 10-4 1.06 x 10-4 1.15 x 10-4 6.21 x 10-5 7.98 x 10-5

ηCarnot 0.012 0.012 0.011 0.016 0.012

ZT 0.044 ± 0.018 0.035 ± 0.008 0.043 ± 0.007 0.015 ± 0.004 0.027 ± 0.006

Table 6. Summary table of measured and extracted device parameters.

117

The thermocouple-normalized Seebeck value STEG,TC is helpful in interpreting the data.

For Devices 1-3 bonded using the same pressure per leg, the value remains relatively

constant. However, there is a significant difference between the values obtained for

Devices 4 and 5 which underwent different bonding pressures. Since the deformation in

Device 5 affected only the active thermoelectric region and not the silicon substrates, the

ratio of thermocouple-to-device thermal resistance is significantly lower. This means that

for a given temperature difference across the entire μTEG (including substrates), the

thermocouples in Device 5 see a smaller fraction of that gradient than do the

thermocouples in Device 4. The result is a larger Seebeck voltage, and consequently

larger STEG,TC, from Device 4 for the same temperature drop from substrate to substrate.

Using the measured load voltage, I-V profiles and load resistance curves are produced for

each μTEG. For comparison, the data for each device under the steady state condition of

ΔTCu ≈ 20 K (temperature difference of the Cu blocks measured by embedded

thermocouples) are shown in Figure 3c. The minimum load resistance (Re,sense plus a

small contribution from the nominally-zeroed potentiometer) can be subtracted from the

slope of the voltage vs. load current data shown in Figure 3c to calculate the electrical

resistance of the μTEG under test, Re,UT. There is no significant deviation in device

electrical resistance between room temperature and test conditions, although the electrical

resistance generally trends downward with increasing temperature.

We measure maximum load power levels on the order of hundreds of μW to single mW

for a device temperature difference ΔTTEG < 10 K. A similar μTEG would typically be

integrated with a power management circuit, in which a capacitor or other energy storage

medium would be trickle-charged by the generator and power could be provided to

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functional components with regulated voltage. This type of circuitry for μW to mW

power sources is typically reported with approximately 60% end-to-end conversion

efficiency in the literature [27–30]. Tan and Panda performed calculations for operational

lifetime of a fully autonomous wireless sensor node assuming 1 mW average power

consumption. [31] Assuming this is the average power consumption including typical

losses in a power management circuit, the ΔTTEG values required for Devices 1-5 to

produce 1 mW are 8.8 K, 8.1 K, 6.9 K, 16.3 K, and 10.5 K respectively. Depending on

the data rate, RF transmission technology, and operational duty cycle, power

requirements can be significantly reduced. Zhang et al. [32] developed an

electrocardiogram module powered by body heat and a TEG+power management circuit

which wirelessly transmits data in multiple modes. In raw-data transmit mode at 200kbps

and 100% duty cycle operation, the module consumes 397 μW. In “AFib detection

mode,” designed only to transmit a short buffer of recent data on the occurrence of an

unusual atrial fibrillation event, the module consumes just 19 μW. The ΔTTEG required for

Device 3 to run these two extreme modes would be 4.3 K and 1.0 K, respectively.

B.4.2. Thermal Resistance and Structural Imaging

Determining an accurate temperature drop across thermoelectric generators is critical for

a true power versus temperature difference measurement. However, to simulate device

performance accounting for realistic thermal boundary conditions such as contact and

heat sink resistances, we must have knowledge of the μTEG’s thermal resistance.

119

Measurements of the μTEG thermal resistances using the Al2O3 reference layer are

consistently lower than anticipated from available models [11] and assumed parameters.

After repeated tests we hypothesized that the force from die bonding may have reduced

the aspect ratio of the thermoelements, resulting in shorter, wider legs than the nominal

design and lowering both the thermal and electrical resistances. This was confirmed by

optical microscopy after filling the devices with epoxy for mechanical stability and

mechanically polishing to reveal a row of thermoelements. Average and standard

deviation of leg dimensions obtained from cross-sectional imaging of a row of

thermocouples are compared to nominal assumptions for each device in Table 3. Values

for leg widths are obtained by measuring and averaging the widths of a full row of

individual thermoelements, while leg heights were calculated by measuring the spacing

between the substrates and subtracting the measured thicknesses of the Au interconnect

layers (3.2 and 3.9 μm). It is particularly noteworthy that Device 5 (bonded at a

thermoelement pressure of 53 MPa) maintained full electrical integrity across 348

thermocouples despite severe deformation (shown in Figure 4b). This is a positive

observation from the standpoint of device robustness but must serve as a warning that

strong deformation can occur for a relatively small increase in applied pressure without

an obvious indication of device failure.

120

B.5. Determination of material and device properties

B.5.1. Thermoelectric material thermal conductivity

The average thermal conductivity of the p- and n-type thermoelectric materials can be

estimated using the calculated thermal resistances and imaged leg dimensions from Table

3 in a numerical model to fit across the five studied devices. The numerical model used is

a 1D thermal resistor network model. [11] Assuming 1 x 10-7 m2 K W-1 thermal contact

resistance at the Bi2Te3/Au and Sb2Te3/Au interfaces, [20] a least-squares fit of 1.3 W m-1

K-1 is determined for the average thermoelectric material thermal conductivity. This value

compares well with the thin film thermal conductivity range of ~1.2-1.4 W m-1 K-1

previously measured for co-evaporated Bi2Te3. [21] The measured experimental thermal

resistances are plotted with the values calculated using the fit value for thermal

conductivity in Figure 4a and 4b.

Figure 4. Comparison of experimental values with numerical values using fit thermal

conductivity of 1.3 W m-1 K-1 for the average TE material value. Figure (b) shows the impact of

higher bonding force resulting in strong deformation of the thermoelements in Device 5.

121

B.5.2. Thermoelement/interconnect electrical contact resistance

Using the device electrical resistances and imaged leg dimensions, we can estimate the

interconnect resistance contribution and the electrical contact resistance of the Bi2Te3/Au

and Sb2Te3/Au interfaces. We note that this approach yields an effective electrical contact

resistance, which averages the resistance at both ends of the thermoelement and includes

the interfacial regions (Cr on one end and Bi-Au eutectic on the other). With an average

p- and n-type electrical resistivity of 1.2 x 10-5 Ω m, measured Au deposition resistivity

of 2.6 x 10-8 Ω m, we calculate the parasitic electric contribution and resulting electrical

contact resistance as:

TC leg

e,TE TE,avg

leg

2n lR

A=

(2)

e,ICs TC IC

IC

12R n

t FF=

(3)

e e,TE e,ICs

contact leg

TC4

R R RA

n

− −=

(4)

The electrical resistance of the interconnects in Equation (3) is derived assuming a square

grid of thermoelements, and an average travel distance for electrical current through each

interconnect equal to the center-to-center spacing between the elements. The TE/IC

electrical contact resistance is consistently less than 1.0 x 10-10 Ω m2 for Devices 1-3,

while it jumps by approximately a factor of four in Device 4. The exact reason for this

increase is not known, as we initially assumed that the larger (nominally) 40 μm x 40 μm

thermoelement cross-sections would form a better thermocompression bond and possibly

122

reduce electrical contact resistance. However, the opposite seems to be true and could

indicate issues with surface roughness or nonuniformity over larger bond areas. All

calculated electrical contact resistances are at least a factor of two lower than the values

measured on the n- and p-type wafers prior to bonding. We attribute this change to

improved electrical contact due to the high temperature/high pressure bond process. We

also note the significant estimated contribution from the Au interconnects which, despite

high electrical conductivity and relatively thick ~4 μm height, essentially match the

electrical resistance due to the thermoelectric legs. For higher aspect ratio legs, the ratio

of interconnect resistance to TE leg resistance should decrease. Devices 1 and 5 possess

comparable fill fraction after bonding (0.28 and 0.27) and illustrate the conclusion drawn

in [11] that for a given fill fraction it is beneficial to use a larger number of legs with

smaller cross-section, in part because the ratio of TE material resistance to total parasitic

resistance will be higher. Estimated contributions from the TE material, interconnects,

and TE/interconnect contacts are illustrated in Figure 5. The large fraction of total

resistance due to parasitics represents significant potential for device optimization. For

example, if the contact resistance of Device 3 could be improved by a factor of 2, total

electrical resistance would decrease from 252 Ω to 174 Ω, and maximum load power for

ΔTTEG = 5 K would increase from 290 μW to 420 μW.

123

Figure 5. Illustration of the estimated component resistances in each μTEG. The relative

percentage of each contribution to total electrical resistance for each device is listed

alongside the bar graphics.

In this work we have assumed that transport in the PVD Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 films is

isotropic, taking values measured in-plane (parallel to the Si substrate) to be

approximately equal to those out-of-plane (along the TE legs). This assumption is

supported by XRD spectra from these materials, which show relatively weak texturing

and no preferential alignment along 00l crystal plane that is often seen in such films.

While the electrical and thermal conductivities of highly-textured Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3

exhibit strong anisotropy, [3,33] the transport properties of polycrystalline Bi2Te3-based

materials with a low degree of grain orientation are essentially isotropic. [34,35] Should the

properties be anisotropic, the primary impact on the present analysis would be in the

calculation of electrical contact resistance. In the case of highly-ordered Bi2Te3-based

films, the electrical conductivity anisotropy ratio could be as high as four, [33] and the true

contribution of the thermoelements to electrical resistance could differ from what is

124

reported in Table 3. Since the calculated contribution of electrical resistance from the

thermoelements is subtracted from the measured device electrical resistance to determine

the contact resistance, a change in resistivity due to anisotropy could impact these values.

B.5.3. Material Seebeck coefficient and load power modeling

We can calculate the net Seebeck coefficient of an individual thermocouple independent

of the material measurements performed on the deposited wafers by using information

obtained from IR and optical microscopy. Since the interior geometry and material

thermal conductivities are now known, we can calculate the thermal resistance Rt,TE of the

active thermoelectric region (thermocouples in parallel with air filler material). By using

the measured temperature difference across the generator ΔTTEG and the calculated

thermal resistance of the μTEG, Rt,TEG,modeled, the temperature difference across the

thermocouple region is found using a voltage divider analog:

t,TE

TE TEG

t,TEG,modeled

RT T

R =

(5)

The device-level Seebeck coefficient per thermocouple STEG,TC from Table 3 is divided

by the thermal resistance ratio Rt,TE / Rt,TEG,modeled to obtain the net material Seebeck

coefficient, with uncertainty determined by the uncertainties in ΔTTEG. The net Seebeck

values are plotted in Figure 6a. The average value is 231 μV K-1, or 9% higher than the

value of 212 μV K-1 measured from the pre-bonded wafers. The higher value is used with

the other parameters determined in this study to model maximum load power versus

ΔTTEG. We compare measured maximum load power values with model outputs in Figure

6b, which show good agreement (less than 10% deviation from measured values).

125

Figure 6. (a) Comparison of extracted material net Seebeck coefficient with pre-bond

wafer measured value (212 μV K-1) and average of extracted values (231 μV K-1), and (b)

Modeled (lines) and measured (markers) maximum load power vs. ΔTTEG. The model

assumes the average extracted material net Seebeck coefficient value of 231 μV K-1.

B.5.3. Device ZT from thermal efficiency

With the thermal conductivity data extracted from measured device resistances, we can

estimate an average material zT using the following relation:

2

net

avg

avg avg4

SzT T

k = (6)

Using values of Snet = 231 μV K-1, kavg = 1.3 W m-1 K-1, ρavg = 1.23 x 10-5 Ω m, and Tavg =

70°C, we obtain an average material zT of 0.29. Although electrical and Seebeck

measurements were performed in-plane and thermal conductivity is effectively out-of-

plane, we reasonably assume the transport properties to be isotropic as described in

Section 5.2. Material properties Snet and ρavg were measured at room temperature, while

device characteristics were measured in the range of ~60-80 °C for increased IR

126

sensitivity. The μTEG electrical resistance was not observed to change significantly

between room temperature and the elevated characterization temperatures.

While material zT presents interesting information about the active thermoelectric

materials in the μTEG, we know that significant device-level losses motivate an analysis

at the system level. To compare the average material zT with an effective device-level

“ZT” accounting for thermal and electrical losses, we begin with the relationship for

maximum efficiency, [19] assuming that Tc / Th ~ 1 at small temperature differences:

max Carnot

1 1

1 1

ZT

ZT

+ −=

+ +

(7)

where ηCarnot is the Carnot efficiency. We can then solve algebraically for ZT, giving the

relation:

( )Carnot max

2

Carnot max

4ZT

=

− (8)

From use of the reference alumina material for obtaining thermal conductivity and the

measurement of maximum load power, we calculate the device efficiency and the

effective device-level ZT of Equation (8) as given in Table 3. In these calculations it is

assumed that variation of the electrical load resistance does not significantly affect the

heat flow through the device, Q , in which case the point of maximum load power

delivery is also the point of maximum thermal efficiency because η = Pload / Q and Q is

127

constant in this case. This assumption is supported by the relatively small Peltier heat

contribution.

From the data in Table 3, we can see that the higher electrical contact resistances

significantly reduce the device ZT values of all evaluated devices. Furthermore, the

impact of device design and fabrication conditions on the contribution of parasitic losses

make this ZT value geometry- and process-dependent. Devices 4 and 5 show the largest

reduction, with the losses in Device 4 coming primarily from high electrical contact

resistance and the losses in Device 5 coming primarily from the small thermal resistance

of the low aspect ratio thermoelements.

Taking the first term of the Taylor series expansion of Equation (8) about ηmax = 0 gives

the expression:

max

Carnot

4ZT

(9)

Assuming maximum power at matched electrical load, ηmax = Pmax / Q = ΔV2 / (4 × Re,TEG

× Q). The Carnot efficiency, assuming Tavg ≈ Th for small temperature differences, is

given by ηCarnot = ΔTTEG / Tavg. Combining terms we have:

22

e,TEG TEGmax

avg

Carnot TEGe,TEG

t,TEGavg

41

V V

R Q TZT T

T RRT

= =

(10)

Substituting the device-level Seebeck coefficient STEG = ΔV / ΔTTEG and μTEG thermal

conductance KTEG = 1 / Rt,TEG (with STEG and Rt,TEG reported in Table 3), we return to the

128

familiar form of the thermoelectric figure of merit at the device level, with electrical and

thermal losses lumped into the constituent parameters of Z:

( )2

TEG

lumped avg

e,TEG TEG

SZT T

R K=

(11)

It is often reported in the literature [36–38] that power delivery (and efficiency, depending

on the boundary conditions) in thermoelectric generators is maximized for an electrical

load resistance higher than the electrical resistance of the TEG, by a factor related to the

figure of merit as e,load,max e,TEG1R zT R= + . This observation differs from the common

assumption of load power being maximized when load resistance matches the internal

resistance of the power source and is due to the presence of the parasitic Peltier heating

and cooling produced when electrical current flows in the generator. In this study, a

negligible difference was observed between measured load power at Re,load,max using the

material zT of 0.29 compared to loads near the matched resistance Re,UT. This is because

in a real, non-ideal device, the effective device ZT must be used in order to account for

electrical and thermal losses. For Device 3, for example, using the material zT (0.29)

gives an optimal electrical load resistance of 286 Ω while the device ZT (0.043) yields

257 Ω, which is much closer to the measured Re,UT = 252 Ω. Maximum measured load

power was observed for Re,load ~ 251 ± 20 Ω, although measured power did not decrease

by more than 1% from the maximum value until Re,load ~ 320 Ω. In higher-ΔT

applications this effect becomes more significant, and the design of matched electrical

load conditions should be based on the effective device ZT rather than material zT.

129

B.6. Summary and Concluding Remarks

Microfabricated thermoelectric generators, or μTEGs, have the potential to provide

battery-free and wireless power to a growing number of low-power distributed sensor

modules. Use of thin film fabrication techniques make high thermocouple densities

possible, allowing load voltages on the order of 1 V from small temperature differences.

This work demonstrates the successful design and fabrication of a set of functional

μTEGs, and characterization using infrared microscopy for accurate determination of the

generator temperature gradient and thermal resistance independent of large thermal

contact resistances. Information from device cross-sections is used with measured

material properties to estimate the relative contributions to electrical resistance from

active and parasitic components, confirming conclusions from previous theoretical work

and illustrating pathways to significant performance enhancements through reduction of

parasitic electrical losses. A formula for a device-level figure of merit ZT is derived using

measured thermal efficiency, made possible by the use of the infrared microscopy

technique, which includes all thermal and electrical losses. Despite a modest average

material thermoelectric figure of merit zT ~ 0.3, load power levels above 1 mW for μTEG

temperature gradients as low as 7.3 K were produced that would easily satisfy power

requirements for a variety of wireless sensor nodes and other small devices.

B.7. Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Analog Devices, Inc. and the National Defense Science and

Engineering Graduate Fellowship (M.T.D. and M.T.B.)

130

B.8. Nomenclature

A Area (m2)

FF Fill fraction (-)

I Electric current (A)

k Thermal conductivity (W m-1 K-1)

K Thermal conductance (W K-1)

l Length (m)

nTC Number of thermocouple pairs

P Electric power (W)

PF Thermoelectric power factor (mW m-1 K-2)

Q Heat rate (W)

Re Electric resistance (Ω)

S Seebeck coefficient (μV K-1)

t Thickness (μm)

T Temperature (K)

TC Thermocouple

TBR Thermal boundary resistance

V Electric voltage (V)

zT Thermoelectric material figure of merit (-)

ZT Thermoelectric device figure of merit (-)

Greek

η Efficiency

ρ Electrical resistivity (Ω m)

ρcontact Area-specific electric contact resistance (Ω m2)

Subscript

a Area-specific

avg Average of n- and p-type material properties

c Cold side

Carnot Related to Carnot efficiency

e Electric

gen Generated by Seebeck effect

h Hot side

IC Interconnect

Joule Related to Joule heating effects

leg Related to a single thermoelectric leg

load Related to the connected electrical load

max Corresponding to maximum power and/or efficiency condition

meas Measured value

net Difference of n- and p-type material properties

Peltier Related to Peltier heating/cooling effects

RT Related to room temperature conditions

sense Related to sense resistor

TC Quantity normalized by number of thermocouples

TE Related to the thermoelectric material

TEG Related to the thermoelectric generator module

UT Related to conditions of μTEG under test

131

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