Microgenerator Using BiSbTe-Pt Thermopile and Pt-Al2O3 Ceramic Combustor

The performance of a microcombustor thermoelectric generator device based on a thermopile using p-type Bi0.3Sb1.7Te3 (BST) and n-type Pt films has been investigated. The BST films were prepared by two different methods—pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and sputter deposition—on Si3N4/SiO2 multilayers on Si substrate. The ceramic catalyst combustor was patterned on the thermopile end on a thin membrane fabricated by back-side bulk etching of the silicon substrate. At 138°C the thermoelectric power factors of the PLD and sputter-deposited films were 3.6 × 10−3 W/mK2 and 0.22 × 10−3 W/mK2, respectively. The power from the generator with the sputter-deposited film was 0.343 μW, which was superior to that of the device with the PLD film, which provided 0.1 μW, for combustion of a 200 sccm flow of 3 v/v% hydrogen in air.