Patterning of Polycrystalline Bi2Te3 Thin Films on Silicon

Experiments in patterning of thin films of polycrystalline bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) on silicon substrates have been performed. Bi2Te3 is representative of a family of thermoelectric materials that are well suited for use in extracting electric energy from thermal gradients associated with flows of waste heat at temperatures in the approximate range of 0 to 150°C. Techniques and processes for fabricating macroscopic thermoelectric devices from bulk thermoelectric materials are mature and well known, but the same cannot yet be said concerning the fabrication of microscopic thermoelectric devices. The experiments reported here were performed as part of a continuing effort to develop capabilities for fabrication (including mass production) of microscopic thermoelectric devices, with a view toward eventually enabling the incorporation of them as integral parts of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) that could also include heat exchangers, sensors, actuators, and/or flow channels. Thus, the development of microscopic thermoelectric devices could benefit from the established industrial infrastructure for manufacturing MEMS and other silicon-based microsystems.