A key issue of our activities is the development of thermoelectric materials in the form of thin films (electrodeposition) and nanostructured bulk (spark plasma sintering). A variety of measurement techniques are employed for the characterization of the temperature dependant thermoelectric transport coefficients, e.g. physical property measurement system, direct characterization of Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity, laserflash method, and Seebeck microscan. These activities are complemented by the fabrication of devices in different device architectures like thin films or pn-junction thermoelectric generators.

Our research areas:

• Electrodeposition of conventional thermoelectric materials like Bi₂Te₃ and Sb₂Te₃
• Sintering (Spark plasma sintering / Hot pressing) of thermoelectric nanopowder to nanocrystalline bulk
• Thin film device fabrication by lithographic pattering
• Fabrication of conventional devices by metallization and soldering techniques
• Full characterization of all thermoelectric transport coefficients