Fabrication of integrated micrometer platform for thermoelectric measurements

Abstract

Good electrical performance of Silicon enables high harvested power density allowing Silicon to compete with conventional thermoelectric materials such as Bi2Te3 or Sb2Te3. High value of thermal conductivity eliminating the use of Silicon in thermoelectricity is no longer an unbeatable drawback since the possibility of reduction has been established and confirmed. Thermal conductivity reduction by a factor 3 over bulk value is reported in 70nm thick Silicon. The Silicon thermal conductivity can be reduced even 100× over bulk when using dedicated patterning which can block the propagation of phonons responsible for heat transport [3]. This reduction will have significant influence in launching industrialization of CMOS compatible thermogenerators.