Thermopower measurement of freestanding nanowires using a MEMS workbench

Abstract

Nanowires of a diameter less than 50nm have been predicted to exhibit a higher thermoelectric figure of merit in comparison to their bulk equivalent. In order to experimentally measure the thermoelectric power in nanowires it is necessary to design and fabricate a measurement platform that is ideally matched in thermal and physical size and capable of testing a large number of individual nanowires in a high throughput manner. In this paper we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a MEMS thermoelectric workbench with a high density of testing locations. Characteristic measurements of the thermoelectric power of Au nanowires are presented as demonstration of the workbench functionality.