• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 제어로봇시스템학회 2005년도 ICCAS
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• pp.139-144
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• 2005

A rigorous research is underway in our team, for the design and development of high figure of merits (ZT= 1.5${\sim}$2.0) micro-thermoelectric coolers. This paper discusses the fabrication process that we are using for developing the $Sb_2Te_3-Bi_2Te_3$ micro-thermoelectric cooling modules. It describes how to obtain the mechanical properties of the thin film TEC elements and reports the results of an equation-based multiphysics modeling of the micro-TEC modules. In this study the thermoelectric thin films were deposited on Si substrates using co-sputtering method. The physical mechanical properties of the prepared films were measured by nanoindentation testing method while the thermal and electrical properties required for modeling were obtained from existing literature. A finite element model was developed using an equation-based multiphysics modeling by the commercial finite element code FEMLAB. The model was solved for different operating conditions. The temperature and the stress distributions in the P and N elements of the TEC as well as in the metal connector were obtained. The temperature distributions of the system obtained from simulation results showed good agreement with the analytical results existing in literature. In addition, it was found that the maximum stress in the system occurs at the bonding part of the TEC i.e. between the metal connectors and TE elements of the module.

• 한국분말재료학회지
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.136-141
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• 2010

Bismuth-telluride based $(Bi_{0.2}Sb_{0.8})_2Te_3$ thermoelectric powders were fabricated by two-step planetary milling process which produces bimodal size distribution ranging $400\;nm\;{\sim}\;2\;{\mu}m$. The powders were reduced in hydrogen atmosphere to minimize oxygen contents which cause degradation of thermoelectric performance by decreasing electrical conductivity. Oxygen contents were decreased from 0.48% to 0.25% by the reduction process. In this study, both the as-synthesized and the reduced powders were consolidated by the spark plasma sintering process at $350^{\circ}C$ for 10 min at the heating rate of $100^{\circ}C/min$ and then their thermoelectric properties were investigated. The sintered samples using the reduced p-type thermoelectric powders show 15% lower specific electrical resistivity ($0.8\;m{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$) than those of the as-synthesized powders while Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity do not change a lot. The results confirmed that ZT value of thermoelectric performance at room temperature was improved by 15% due to high electric conductivity caused by the controlled oxygen contents present at bismuth telluride materials.