Method for producing thermoelectric layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957602-B2
Application number	US-201013381468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2010
Priority date	Jun 30, 2009
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing thermoelectric layers by depositing thermoelectric material on a substrate by means of sputter deposition. In order to create a method for producing thermoelectric layers that are better suited for use in thermogenerators, and in particular have higher Seebeck coefficients, the production of a target made of thermoelectric material is proposed by mixing at least two powdered starting materials having a particle size from 0.01 μm-5000 μm, while coupling in energy and depositing the thermoelectric material from the target on the substrate by way of magnetron sputter deposition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing thermoelectric layers configured for thermoelectric generators by depositing thermoelectric material onto a substrate by sputter deposition, comprising the steps of
producing a target of thermoelectric material by mixing together at least two powdered starting materials in a particle size of 0.01-5000.00 μm under the input of energy by one of mechanical alloying and plasma alloying, wherein the mechanical alloying includes grinding the powdered starting materials, and the input of energy is achieved through loads delivered by impacts and shocks during the grinding, and
depositing the thermoelectric material from the target onto the substrate by magnetron sputter deposition, thereby forming the thermoelectric layers configured for thermoelectric generators, where a magnetic field is superimposed on an electric field produced by a target cathode and an anode and only a DC gas discharge between the target cathode and the anode serves as an ion source for the magnetron sputter deposition.

2. The method according to claim 1 , the at least two powdered starting materials include at least two different materials from one of the following groups of starting materials mixed together:
Bi 2 Te 3 , Bi 2 Se 3 , Sb 2 Te 3 ;
PbTe;
Si, Ge;
carbides;
perovskites;
clathrates;
skutterudites;
nitrides;
Zintl phases;
half-Heusler compounds;
carbon-based semiconductors; and
metal oxides.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of producing includes producing a p-type target using the starting materials Sb 2 Te 3 and Bi 2 Te 3 mixed together, and the p-type target comprises 60-90 mol. % of Sb 2 Te 3 .

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of producing includes producing an n-type target using the starting materials Bi 2 Se 3 and Bi 2 Te 3 mixed together, and the n-type target comprises 80-95 mol. % of Bi 2 Se 3 .

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of producing includes producing an n-type target by mixing together the n-type doped starting materials silicon and germanium.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of producing includes producing a p-type target by mixing together the doped starting materials silicon and germanium.

7. The method according to one of claims 1 , wherein the step of producing comprises
grinding the at least two powdered starting materials;
removing the starting materials, which have been alloyed by the grinding process; and then
sintering the alloyed starting materials at temperatures in the range of 200-1,000° C.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the at least two powdered starting materials are ground in a grinding-body mill.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of producing comprises introducing the at least two powdered starting materials into a gas stream;
generating a cold atmospheric plasma in a gas jet; and
feeding the gas stream into the gas jet.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the cold atmospheric plasma comprises a temperature below 1,000° C.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the mass flow rate of the starting materials in the gas stream is in the range of 0.01-200 g/sec-cm 2 .

12. The method according to one of claim 1 , further comprising tempering the layer deposited onto the substrate.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the tempering of the layer is performed at a temperature in the range of 200-1,000° C.

Assignees

• Teunissen Ralph
• Span Gerhard
• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Teunissen Ralph
• Span Gerhard

Classifications

• C23C14/3414 Primary

  Metallurgical or chemical aspects of target preparation, e.g. casting, powder metallurgy · CPC title

• H01L35/16

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C23C14/0682

  Silicides · CPC title

• H01L35/34

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C23C14/0623

  Sulfides, selenides or tellurides · CPC title