Effect of Thermal Cycling on Zinc Antimonide Thin Film Thermoelectric Characteristics

Abstract

In this study, performance and stability of zinc antimonide thin film thermoelectric sample is analyzed under transient thermal conditions. The thermoelectric materials are deposited on glass based substrate where the heat flow is parallel with the thermoelectric element length. The specimen is fixed between a heater block and heat sink cooled by the ambient. The thermoelectric element is studied under open circuit and also optimal constant loads corresponding to maximum power output. The thermal cycles are provided for five different hot junction temperatures, 160, 200, 250, 300 and 350 °C. The results show that the thin film has high reliability after thermal and electrical cycles, and no performance degradation is observed.