Paper TF1-ThA9
Fabrication of Multilayered Thin Film Cooling Devices

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 4:40 pm, Room 602/603

Multilayered thin film cooling devices were designed and fabricated for the application of highly efficient solid-state micro cooling. Multilayered Bi₂Te₃/Sb₂Te₃ (p-type) and Bi₂Te₃/Sb₂Te_xSe_3-x (n-type) superlattice thin films were used as the material systems for fabrication of the cooling devices. The multilayered films were grown by e-beam evaporation and had a periodic structure consisting of alternating Bi₂Te₃/Sb₂Te₃ layers or Bi₂Te₃/Sb₂Te_xSe_3-x layers, with 5-10 nm thickness each. The cooling device consists of pairs of n-type and p-type legs, which are connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. Under the applied voltage, both electrons in n-type legs and holes in p-type legs move from the cooling end, carrying heat, therefore, heat is pumped away from the cooling end to the hot end, where the heat is finally ejected away. Large number of pairs of n-type and p-type legs with size ranging from 7 µm by 14 µm to 30 µm by 40 µm is integrated in a single device using microfabrication techniques. Photomasks were designed for the fabrication of the cooling devices, and clean room-based microfabrication techniques were used to fabricate the devices. The developed cooling device is a good candidate for the application of high-efficiency solid-state micro cooling. The electrical and thermal parameters of the material systems such as the electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and Seebeck coefficient will be characterized and the cooling efficiency will be measured. The results will be reported in the conference.

Acknowledgements: The author thanks CERDEC for financial support for the research.