Improvement of the Crystallinity of Silicon Films Deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition with Negative Substrate Bias

We have investigated the effect of negative substrate bias on microcrystalline silicon films deposited on glass and stainless steel by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) to gain insight into the effect of negative substrate bias on crystallization. Structural characterization of the silicon films was performed by Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the crystallinity of the films is obviously improved by applying the substrate bias, especially for films on stainless steel. At hot-wire temperature of 1800°C and negative substrate bias of ?800 V, grain size as large as 200 nm was obtained on stainless-steel substrate with crystalline fraction 9% higher than that of films deposited on glass and 15% higher than that of films deposited without substrate bias. It is deduced that the improvement of the crystallinity is mainly related to the accelerated electrons emitted from the hot wires. The differences in this improvement between different substrates are caused by the different electrical potential of the substrates. A solar cell fabricated by HWCVD with ?800 V substrate bias is demonstrated, showing an obviously higher conversion efficiency than that without substrate bias.     

Fabrication of Bismuth Telluride-Based Alloy Thin Film Thermoelectric Devices Grown by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Bismuth–antimony–telluride based thin film materials were grown by metal organic vapor phase deposition (MOCVD). A planar-type thermoelectric device was fabricated with p-type Bi_0.4Sb_1.6Te₃ and n-type Bi₂Te₃ thin films. The generator consisted of 20 pairs of p-type and n-type legs. We demonstrated complex structures of different conduction types of thermoelectric elements on the same substrate using two separate deposition runs of p-type and n-type thermoelectric materials. To demonstrate power generation, we heated one side of the sample with a heating block and measured the voltage output. An estimated power of 1.3 μW was obtained for the temperature difference of 45 K. We provide a promising procedure for fabricating thin film thermoelectric generators by using MOCVD grown thermoelectric materials that may have a nanostructure with high thermoelectric properties.     

Fully Electrical Modeling of Thermoelectric Generators with Contact Thermal Resistance Under Different Operating Conditions

The Seebeck effect is used in thermoelectric generators (TEGs) to supply electronic circuits by converting the waste thermal into electrical energy. This generated electrical power is directly proportional to the temperature difference between the TEG module’s hot and cold sides. Depending on the applications, TEGs can be used either under constant temperature gradient between heat reservoirs or constant heat flow conditions. Moreover, the generated electrical power of a TEG depends not only on these operating conditions, but also on the contact thermal resistance. The influence of the contact thermal resistance on the generated electrical power have already been extensively reported in the literature. However, as reported in Park et al. (Energy Convers Manag 86:233, 2014) and Montecucco and Knox (IEEE Trans Power Electron 30:828, 2015), while designing TEG-powered circuit and systems, a TEG module is mostly modeled with a Thévenin equivalent circuit whose resistance is constant and voltage proportional to the temperature gradient applied to the TEG’s terminals. This widely used simplified electrical TEG model is inaccurate and not suitable under constant heat flow conditions or when the contact thermal resistance is considered. Moreover, it does not provide realistic behaviour corresponding to the physical phenomena taking place in a TEG. Therefore, from the circuit designer’s point of view, faithful and fully electrical TEG models under different operating conditions are needed. Such models are mainly necessary to design and evaluate the power conditioning electronic stages and the maximum power point tracking algorithms of a TEG power supply. In this study, these fully electrical models with the contact thermal resistance taken into account are presented and the analytical expressions of the Thévenin equivalent circuit parameters are provided.     

激光生物作用及其影响因子

本文对影响激光生物作用的因子进行了讨论。组织的吸收和散射、入射激光束的直径以及含色素组织的尺寸等因子决定了激光作用下组织中光能的沉积区域，短激光脉冲能在光能沉积区内产生最强的光热和光机械作用。在高强度激光的辐照下，组织焦斑的形成会改变光能沉积区，并改变激光生物作用效果。     

Fabrication and Evaluation of a Thermoelectric Microdevice on a Free-Standing Substrate

Using shadow masks prepared by standard microfabrication processes, we fabricated in-plane thermoelectric microdevices (4 mm × 4 mm) made of bismuth telluride thin films, and evaluated their performance. We used Bi_0.4Te_3.0Sb_1.6 as the p-type semiconductor and Bi_2.0Te_2.7Se_0.3 as the n-type semiconductor. We deposited p- and n-type thermoelectric thin films on a free-standing thin film of Si₃N₄ (4 mm × 4 mm × 4 μm) on a Si wafer, and measured the output voltages of the microdevices while heating at the bottom of the Si substrate. The maximum output voltage of the thermoelectric device was 48 mV at 373 K.     

Fabrication and Evaluation of a Skutterudite-Based Thermoelectric Module for High-Temperature Applications

We report a straightforward methodology for the fabrication of high-temperature thermoelectric (TE) modules using commercially available solder alloys and metal barriers. This methodology employs standard and accessible facilities that are simple to implement in any laboratory. A TE module formed by nine n-type Yb _x Co₄Sb₁₂ and p-type Ce _x Fe₃CoSb₁₂ state-of-the-art skutterudite material couples was fabricated. The physical properties of the synthesized skutterudites were determined, and the module power output, internal resistance, and thermocycling stability were evaluated in air. At a temperature difference of 365 K, the module provides more than 1.5 W cm^?3 volume power density. However, thermocycling showed an increase of the internal module resistance and degradation in performance with the number of cycles when the device is operated at a hot-side temperature higher than 573 K. This may be attributed to oxidation of the skutterudite thermoelements.     

Design and Numerical Evaluation of Cascade-Type Thermoelectric Modules

Thermoelectric (TE) generation performance can be enhanced by stacking several TE modules (so-called cascade-type modules). This work presents a design method to optimize the cascade structure for maximum power output. A one-dimensional model was first analyzed to optimize the TE element dimensions by considering the heat balance including conductive heat transfer, Peltier heat, and Joule heat, assuming constant temperatures at all TE junctions. The number of p–n pairs was successively optimized to obtain maximum power. The power output increased by 1.24 times, from 12.7 W in a conventional model to 15.7 W in the optimized model. Secondly, a two-dimensional numerical calculation based on the finite-volume method was used to evaluate the temperature and electric potential distributions. Voltage–current characteristics were calculated, the maximum power output was evaluated, and the efficiencies of two possible models were compared to select the optimal design. The one-dimensional analytical approach is effective for a rough design, and multidimensional numerical calculation is effective for evaluating the dimensions and performance of cascade-type TE modules in detail.     

化学沉淀法制备纳米Ni(OH)2电极材料及其工艺参数的优化设计

通过化学沉淀法成功制备了纳米复合氢氧化镍粉体，测得纳米复合氢氧化镍粉体的振实密度低于球镍粉体，但其压实密度明显高于后者；相应镍电极的密度也超过常规球镍电极．实验得出了制备纳米氢氧化镍粉体的温度、氨水浓度与pH值的最佳参数．最终制备出的纳米复合电极材料的压实密度与质量电化学容量两项指标均比常规球镍高15％以上．     

化学沉淀法制备纳米Ni(OH)_2电极材料及其工艺参数的优化设计

通过化学沉淀法成功制备了纳米复合氢氧化镍粉体,测得纳米复合氢氧化镍粉体的振实密度低于球镍粉体,但其压实密度明显高于后者;相应镍电极的密度也超过常规球镍电极。实验得出了制备纳米氢氧化镍粉体的温度、氨水浓度与pH值的最佳参数。最终制备出的纳米复合电极材料的压实密度与质量电化学容量两项指标均比常规球镍高15％以上。     

Evaluation of Temperature-Dependent Effective Material Properties and Performance of a Thermoelectric Module

We devised a novel method to evaluate the temperature-dependent effective properties of a thermoelectric module (TEM): Seebeck coefficient (S _m), internal electrical resistance (R _m), and thermal conductance (K _m). After calculation, the effective properties of the module are converted to the average material properties of a p–n thermoelectric pillar pair inside the module: Seebeck coefficient (S _TE), electrical resistivity (ρ _TE), and thermal conductivity (k _TE). For a commercial thermoelectric module (Altec 1091) chosen to verify the novel method, the measured S _TE has a maximum value at bath temperature of 110°C; ρ _TE shows a positive linear trend dependent on the bath temperature, and k _TE increases slightly with increasing bath temperature. The results show the method to have satisfactory measurement performance in terms of practicability and reliability; the data for tests near 23°C agree with published values.     

Selection and Evaluation of Thermal Interface Materials for Reduction of the Thermal Contact Resistance of Thermoelectric Generators

A variety of thermal interface materials (TIMs) were investigated to find a suitable TIM for improving the performance of thermoelectric power generators (TEGs) operating in the medium-temperature range (600–900 K). The thermal resistance at the thermal interface between which the TIM was inserted was evaluated. The TIMs were chosen on the basis of their thermal stability when used with TEGs operating at medium temperatures, their electrical insulating properties, their thermal conductivity, and their thickness. The results suggest that the boron nitride (BN)-based ceramic coating, Whity Paint, and the polyurethane-based sheet, TSU700-H, are suitable TIMs for the heat source and heat sink sides, respectively, of the TEG. Use of these effectively enhances TEG performance because they reduce the thermal contact resistance at the thermal interface.     

Design and Fabrication of Segmented GeTe/(Bi,Sb)2Te3 Thermoelectric Module with Enhanced Conversion Efficiency

GeTe and (Bi,Sb)₂Te₃ are two representative thermoelectric (TE) materials showing maximum performance at middle and low temperature, respectively. In order to achieve higher performance over the whole temperature range, their segmented one-leg TE modules are designed and fabricated by one-step spark plasma sintering (SPS). To search for contact and connect layers, the diffusion behavior of Fe, Ni, Cu, and Ti metal layers in GeTe is studied systematically. The results show that Ti with a similar linear expansivity (10.80 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹) to GeTe, has low contact resistance (3 µΩ cm²) and thin diffusion layer (0.4 µm), and thus is an effective metallization layer for GeTe. The geometric structure of the GeTe/(Bi,Sb)₂Te₃ segmented one-leg TE module and the ratio of GeTe to (Bi,Sb)₂Te₃ are determined by finite element simulation method. When the GeTe height ratio is 0.66, its theoretical maximum conversion efficiency (η_max) can reach 15.9% without considering the thermal radiation and thermal/electrical contact resistance. The fabricated GeTe/(Bi,Sb)₂Te₃ segmented one-leg TE module showed a η_max up to 9.5% with a power density ≈ 7.45 mW mm⁻², which are relatively high but lower than theoretical predictions, indicating that developing segmented TE modules is an effective approach to enhance TE conversion efficiency.     

Integration of Thermoelectric Generators and Wood Stove to Produce Heat, Hot Water, and Electrical Power

Traditional fire stoves are characterized by low efficiency. In this experimental study, the combustion chamber of the stove is augmented by two devices. An electric fan can increase the air-to-fuel ratio in order to increase the system’s efficiency and decrease air pollution by providing complete combustion of wood. In addition, thermoelectric generators (TEGs) produce power that can be used to satisfy all basic needs. In this study, a water-based cooling system is designed to increase the efficiency of the TEGs and also produce hot water for residential use. Through a range of tests, an average of 7.9 W was achieved by a commercial TEG with substrate area of 56 mm × 56 mm, which can produce 14.7 W output power at the maximum matched load. The total power generated by the stove is 166 W. Also, in this study a reasonable ratio of fuel to time is described for residential use. The presented prototype is designed to fulfill the basic needs of domestic electricity, hot water, and essential heat for warming the room and cooking.     

利用等离子增强化学汽相沉积生长初期快速结晶的纳米晶硅

成功地利用传统的等离子增强化学汽相沉积技术制备了纳米晶硅。为了提高生长初期的结晶速度,在PECVD设备和干法刻蚀设备中,利用H2/SF6等离子体对Si Nx薄膜表面进行处理。在制备纳米/微米晶粒结晶硅时常用的氢气稀释条件下,沉积得到了纳米晶硅。利用XRD和TEM观察了氢化纳米晶硅(nc-Si∶H)的微结构,发现实验成功得到了小于10 nm的晶体硅。为了检测结构和电学特性,测试了纳米晶硅薄膜的亮态和暗态电导率。室温下,电导率从非晶硅的10-10S/cm增加到10-5S/cm。     

弱硼掺杂补偿对氢化微晶硅薄膜制备与特性的影响

研究了弱硼掺杂补偿对甚高频等离子体增强化学气相沉积方法生长氢化微晶硅薄膜(μc-Si:H)及材料特性的影响.实验发现,随着弱硼补偿剂量的增大,μc-Si:H薄膜的沉积速率先减小后增加,变化范围约为0.7～0.8nm/s.相比较而言,材料的结晶度以及晶粒的平均颗粒尺寸则呈现出先增后减的变化,且变化的幅度较大,当弱硼补偿剂量大于2.5ppm时,过度的弱硼补偿将导致μc-Si:H薄膜的结晶状况恶化.此外,光敏性、暗电导及电导激活能的测量结果进一步表明,弱硼补偿显著影响μc-Si:H薄膜的光电特性,弱硼补偿剂量为2.5ppm左右时,材料的光电特性最为理想.因此,优化弱硼补偿剂量是获得器件级质量μc-Si:H材料的有效途径.     

弱硼掺杂补偿对氢化微晶硅薄膜制备与特性的影响

研究了弱硼掺杂补偿对甚高频等离子体增强化学气相沉积方法生长氢化微晶硅薄膜（μc-Si∶H）及材料特性的影响.实验发现,随着弱硼补偿剂量的增大,μc-Si∶H薄膜的沉积速率先减小后增加,变化范围约为0.7～0.8nm/s.相比较而言,材料的结晶度以及晶粒的平均颗粒尺寸则呈现出先增后减的变化,且变化的幅度较大,当弱硼补偿剂量大于2.5ppm时,过度的弱硼补偿将导致μc-Si∶H薄膜的结晶状况恶化.此外,光敏性、暗电导及电导激活能的测量结果进一步表明,弱硼补偿显著影响μc-Si∶H薄膜的光电特性,弱硼补偿剂量为2.5ppm左右时,材料的光电特性最为理想.因此,优化弱硼补偿剂量是获得器件级质量μc-Si∶H材料的有效途径.     

Design, Fabrication, and Evaluation of BARITT Devices for Doppler System Applications

The properties of BARITT devices and their application in self-mixing Doppler systems are presented. A detailed comparison with IMPATT and Gunn devices indicates that the BARITT is superior in this particular application in many respects, particularly when prime power requirements are important. It is shown that, even though the BARITT device will not compete with existing devices with regard to power output and efficiency, it is the best available device for self-mixed Doppler RADAR applications and therefore should find wide usage in such applications. Simplified design criteria for BARITT devices are given and fabrication procedures for X-band devices with different operating voltages are described.     

电容式多晶硅微声传感器的模拟与设计

设计了一种以多晶硅薄膜作为振动膜片的电容式硅微声传感器。通过有限元法(FEM)对传感器建模，并对其进行静力、模态和谐响应分析。模拟分析结果表明此传感器机械灵敏度可达1．81X10^-7m／Pa，其频带宽度接近10kHz。     

激光化学汽相淀积薄膜微透镜的设计与实践

本文介绍了采用激光化学汽相淀积（ＬＣＶＤ）技术淀积氮化硅薄膜微透镜的系统与工艺的设计。实践表明，按要求建立了ＬＣＶＤ的实验装置后，只要适当控制源气体的化学配比与浓度，调节激光功率与衬底上的光斑尺寸，选择淀积时间，就可以淀积出不同直径、透明、表面光滑的氮化硅薄膜微透镜。