Determination of Electrical Contact Resistivity in Thermoelectric Modules (TEMs) from Module-Level Measurements

S. Ravi Annapragada, United Technol Res Ctr
Todd Salamon, Alcatel Lucent Bell Labs
Paul Kolodner, Alcatel Lucent Bell Labs
Marc Hodes, Tufts University
Suresh V. Garimella, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

Abstract

An experimental apparatus was developed to characterize the performance of a thermoelectric module (TEM) and heat sink assembly when the TEM was operated in refrigeration mode. A numerical model was developed to simulate the experiments. Bulk and interfacial Ohmic heating, the Peltier effect, Thomson effect and temperature-dependent bulk material properties, i.e., Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity were considered. A novel, self-consistent characterization methodology was developed to obtain the electrical contact resistivity at the interconnects in a TEM from the numerical simulations and the experiments. The electrical contact resistivity of the module tested was determined to be approximately 1.0 x 10(-9) Omega m(2). The predictions are consistent with electrical contact resistivity obtained based on the performance specifications (Delta T-max) of the TEM.

Discipline(s)

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology