L. Ferre Llin

The thermoelectric properties of Ge/SiGe modulation doped superlattices

The thermoelectric and physical properties of superlattices consisting of modulation doped Ge quantum wells inside Si1− y Ge y barriers are presented, which demonstrate enhancements in the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, and power factor at room temperature over bulk Ge, Si1− y Ge y , and Si/Ge superlattice materials. Mobility spectrum analysis along with low temperature measurements indicate that the high power factors are dominated by the high electrical conductivity from the modulation doping. Comparison of the results with modelling using the Boltzmann transport equation with scattering parameters obtained from Monte Carlo techniques indicates that a high threading dislocation density is also limiting the performance. The analysis suggests routes to higher thermoelectric performance at room temperature from Si-based materials that can be fabricated using micro- and nano-fabrication techniques.

The cross-plane thermoelectric properties of p-Ge/Si0.5Ge0.5 superlattices

The electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficients, and thermal conductivities of a range of p-type Ge/Si0.5 Ge 0.5 superlattices designed for thermoelectric generation and grown by low energy plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition have been measured using a range of microfabricated test structures. For samples with barriers around 0.5 nm in thickness, the measured Seebeck coefficients were comparable to bulk p-SiGe at similar doping levels suggesting the holes see the material as a random bulk alloy rather than a superlattice. The Seebeck coefficients for Ge quantum wells of 2.85 ± 0.85 nm increased up to 533 ± 25 μV/K as the doping was reduced. The thermal conductivities are between 4.5 to 6.0 Wm−1K−1 which are lower than comparably doped bulk Si0.3 Ge 0.7 but higher than undoped Si/Ge superlattices. The highest measured figure of merit ZT was 0.080 ± 0.011 obtained for the widest quantum well studied. Analysis suggests that interface roughness is presently limiting the performance and a reduction in the strain between the quantum wells and barriers has the potential to improve the thermoelectric performance.

The LHCb VELO upgrade

Abstract The LHCb experiment plans to have a fully upgraded detector and data acquisition system in order to take data with instantaneous luminosities up to 5 times greater than currently. For this reason the first tracking and vertexing detector, the VELO, will be completely redesigned to be able to cope with the much larger occupancies and data acquisition rates. Two main design alternatives, micro-strips or pixel detectors, are under consideration to build the upgraded detector. This paper describes the options presently under consideration, as well as a few highlights of the main aspects of the current R&D. Preliminary results using a pixel telescope are also presented.

Thermal Conductivity Measurement Methods for SiGe Thermoelectric Materials

A new technique to measure the thermal conductivity of thermoelectric materials at the microscale has been developed. The structure allows the electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and Seebeck coefficient to be measured on a single device. The thermal conductivity is particularly difficult to measure since it requires precise estimation of the heat flux injected into the material. The new technique is based on a differential method where the parasitic contributions of the supporting beams of a Hall bar are removed. The thermal measurements with integrated platinum thermometers on the device are cross-checked using thermal atomic force microscopy and validated by finite-element analysis simulations.

Si/SiGe nanoscale engineered thermoelectric materials for energy harvesting

Thermoelectric materials are one potential technology that could be used for energy harvesting. Here we report results from nanoscale Ge/SiGe heterostructure materials grown on Si substrates designed to enhance the thermoelectric performance at room temperature. The materials and devices are aimed at integrated energy harvesters for autonomous sensing applications. We report Seebeck coefficients up to 279.5±1.2 μV/K at room temperature with electrical conductivites of 77,200 S/m which produce a high power factor of 6.02±0.05 mWm-1K-2. Methods for microfabricating modules will be described along with techniques for accurate measurements of the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity in micro- and nano-scale devices. The present thermoelectric performance is limited by a high threading dislocation density.