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Flexible Thermoelectric Module Using Bi-Te and Sb-Te Thin Films for Temperature Sensors

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Abstract

Electromotive force is generated by a temperature difference in a thermocouple formed of two different metals, known as the Seebeck effect. Flexible thermoelectric (TE) temperature sensors based on the Seebeck effect can be attached to the body to provide body temperature information to health providers via wireless communications. Materials used in flexible TE temperature sensors have higher Seebeck coefficients than those of traditional thermocouples, and hence generate a high output voltage even with small temperature changes, making them highly suitable for use as body temperature sensors. In this study, a flexible TE temperature sensor was fabricated using a cheap, commercial flexible printed circuit board substrate and TE thin films of n-type bismuth telluride and p-type antimony telluride by co-evaporation. The results show that the flexible TE temperature sensor has a sensitivity of 192.70 μV K−1.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIP) (NRF-2015R1A5A1036133)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Nano-mechanics, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, 156 Gajeongbuk-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 34103, Republic of Korea

    Su Hyeon Lee, Haishan Shen & Seungwoo Han

  2. Department of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seou-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, 440-746, Republic of Korea

    Haishan Shen

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  1. Su Hyeon Lee
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  2. Haishan Shen
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  3. Seungwoo Han
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Correspondence to Seungwoo Han.

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Lee, S.H., Shen, H. & Han, S. Flexible Thermoelectric Module Using Bi-Te and Sb-Te Thin Films for Temperature Sensors. J. Electron. Mater. 48, 5464–5470 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-019-07235-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-019-07235-1

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