Laser-assisted direct writing of thermoelectric generators

Abstract

We present a novel method for the fabrication of a thermoelectric generator using a rapid, lithography-less technique performed under ambient conditions and called laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). LIFT is a laser-assisted method that has been employed for the transfer of materials such as metals, semiconductors, liquids and dielectrics. A part of a thin film (donor) previously coated onto a transparent carrier substrate is transferred onto a nearby receiver by the explosive expansion of a small part of the donor volume transformed on absorption of a laser pulse. Thereby donor and receiver do not necessarily need to match their lattice or thermal parameters. To demonstrate the capability of LIFT-printing, a thermoelectric generator consisting of staggered p- and n-type doped pads was fabricated by transferring layers of Bi₂Te₃ and Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ consecutively onto a glass receiver pre-coated with a thin polydimethylsiloxane polymer film. For a single pair of the generator elements, the thermoelectric voltage per unit degree temperature difference was determined to be >90µV/K. The resistance of a thermoelectric leg pair was in the order of 10kΩ. The performance was compared to that of thermoelectric generators fabricated both with conventional methods and with devices fabricated with different designs using LIFT. The studies show that LIFT is a rapid and novel technique that can be employed for the fabrication of working thermoelectric generators on polymer substrate.

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ORCID for R.W. Eason: orcid.org/0000-0001-9704-2204

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