Kamel Azzouz

Investigation of Diffusion Barrier Layers for Bi-Doped Mg2(Si,Ge) Thermoelectric Legs

The performance of thermoelectric (TE) modules is governed not only by the thermoelectric materials whose properties are capitalized, but also on the quality of the electrical contacts which are ubiquitous in the design of the device. To ensure the necessary stability of the interfaces between the TE materials and the electrodes, diffusion barriers are generally used. In this study, attempts are presented in finding diffusion barriers that would be suitable for Mg2(Si,Ge) TE materials. These involved the deposition by microwave plasma-assisted co-sputtering of intermediate gradient layers starting from Mg and Si, ending up with a Ni layer, or the deposition of metallic layers (Ti, Cr, W and Ta). The effectiveness of the deposited layers as diffusion barriers is assessed after the legs were subjected to a brazing process, with the results favoring the use of gradient layers with a thick Ni layer and metallic layers based on Ta and Cr, despite some adherence issues for the latter.