Thermoelectric generation and related properties of conventional type module based on Si-Ge alloy

Abstract

A conventional type thermoelectric module based on Si/sub 2/Ge has been made for power use. The module consists of 10 pairs of p- and n-type Si/sub 2/Ge elements in which B and P were doped (/spl sim/10/sup 20/ cm/sup -3/) respectively. The elements electrically connected in series using Mo electrodes are sandwiched between AIN plates. Each plate is 20 mm/spl times/44 mm in area, and the height of the module is about 12 mm. The power generation of the module was evaluated as a function of temperature difference between the upper (T/sub u/) and the lower (T/sub 1/) plates; a series circuit including the module and a reference resistance (/spl sim/0.5 ohm, comparable to the electrical resistance of the module) was used. With rising T/sub u/, the closed circuit current (I/sub c/), the voltage drop of the reference resistance (V/sub c/), and the open circuit voltage of the module (V/sub 0/) were measured. Maximum power calculated from I/sub c/, V/sub c/ and V/sub 0/ was about 1.3 W at T/sub u/-T/sub 1//spl sim/400 K (T/sub u//spl sim/700 K). The electrical properties of Si/sub 2/Ge elements were also presented as well as the detailed experimental procedure.