%0 Journal Article
%T Fabrication of Thermoelectric Sensor and Cooling Devices Based on Elaborated Bismuth-Telluride Alloy Thin Films
%A Abdellah Boulouz
%A Alain Giani
%A Brice Sorli
%A Lahcen Koutti
%A Abdellah Massaq
%A Frederique Pascal-Delannoy
%J Journal of Materials
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/430410
%X The principal motivation of this work is the development and realization of smart cooling and sensors devices based on the elaborated and characterized semiconducting thermoelectric thin film materials. For the first time, the details design of our sensor and the principal results are published. Fabrication and characterization of Bi/Sb/Te (BST) semiconducting thin films have been successfully investigated. The best values of Seebeck coefficient (¦Á(T)) at room temperature for Bi2Te3, and (Bi1£¿xSbx)2Te3 with x = 0.77 are found to be £¿220£¿¦ÌV/K and +240£¿¦ÌV/K, respectively. Fabrication and evaluation of performance devices are reported. 2.60¡ãC of cooling of only one Peltier module device for an optimal current of £¿mA is obtained. The values of temperature measured by infrared camera, by simulation, and those measured by the integrated and external thermocouple are reported. A sensitivity of the sensors of 5£¿mV£¿Torr£¿1£¿mW£¿1 for the pressure sensor has been found with a response time of about 600£¿ms. 1. Introduction Thermoelectric microdevices are used in a variety of applications [1¨C4]. They are used by the military for night vision equipment, electronic equipment cooling, sensors, and portable refrigerators. Thermoelectric modules can also be used as thermocouples for measuring temperature or providing the temperature-sensing element in a thermostat. The Seebeck effect has two main applications including temperature measurement and power generation [2]. This effect is used for elaboration of thermoelectric cooling and sensor devices. The potential of a material for thermoelectric applications is determined by the figure of merit [2]: where represent the Seebeck coefficient, the electrical resistivity, and the total thermal conductivity where is the lattice part and is the electronic part [2, 5]. The conversion efficiency of thermoelectric materials can be improved either by lowering their thermal conductivity or by enhancing their capacity for producing electricity. As known, there are two approaches which can be used for preparing high ZT materials: (1) the multiquantum well structures (MQW) with quantum confinement effects and (2) the concept of reducing lattice thermal conductivity (especially in high temperature applications) in PGEC (phonon glass electron crystal) systems. PGEC systems (e.g., skutterudites based on CoSb3) are studied mainly as bulk materials [6]. The concept of MQW mainly dealt with thin films and superlattices [7¨C9]. The alloys of bismuth telluride with antimony telluride have attractive properties and are most used in the energy
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jma/2014/430410/