Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten

DS 38: Poster III: Resistive switching (jointly with DF, KR, HL); Thermoelectric materials (Focused session); Micro- and nanopatterning (jointly with O); Ion irradiation effects

DS 38.13: Poster

Thursday, March 29, 2012, 17:30–19:00, Poster E

Phase-Change materials as thermoelectrics — •Roland Sittner, Karl Simon Siegert, Felix Lange, and Matthias Wuttig — 1.Physikalisches Institut IA, RWTH Aachen, 52064 Aachen

Phase-change materials (PCMs) offer a unique combination of physical properties. They possess a high contrast in optical reflectivity and electrical resistivity and in addition a nanosecond switching capability between the amorphous and the crystalline state [1]. These properties make PCMs predestinated for the technological application in the field of data storage. Here they are already used as an active layer in rewritable optical data storage media (e.g. DVD±RW) and are promising candidates for the next generation of non-volatile electrical data storage applications (PRAM). Another potential field of application for PCMs are thermoelectrics (TEs). PCMs are close to common TE materials in their atomic composition and offer favourable low thermal conductivities in combination with high electrical conductivity values.

This work focuses on the potential of PCMs for thermoelectric applications by evaluating their figure of merit ZT. Several PC thin films were created by sputter deposition. The related physical properties κ, σ and S are measured with the 3ω method, the van der Pauw method and a self-made setup for determining the Seebeck coefficient. Special focus is set on the measurement of the thermal conductivity.

[1] Bruns et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 043108 (2009)